Yu-Gi-Oh! Arcane Darkness: Arc 1
by BTPrincessGirl
Summary: It had been 25 years since the spirit of the Pharaoh Atem had been laid to rest. It had been 10 years since Yugi Mutou disappeared, leaving his wife and only son behind. And it had only been one hour since Noah Mutou decided he should not have returned to Domino City. ((Post-DM AU/Notes in first chapter))
1. Part 1

Quick Note before we Begin:

Hello, readers! I won't have notes like this in every part, I promise. Just wanting to establish a bit of background, since this story of mine is 10+ years old (no, I'm not kidding).

1\. I've gone over this story and re-written the plot several times over. The characters have changed as I have; I started writing this fic when I was 10-11 years old and I am currently almost 22.

2\. Although I have Arc 1 finished (and there are **seven arcs** , so that you're aware), I do not have any other completed arcs yet, as just recently I decided to scrap and rethink the entire plot for this fanfiction. It still has the same general premise that I began with, it's just a bit better executed.

3\. Yes my main OC-protag is named Noah; No, it is not in relation to Noa Kaiba. The name actually came to me before I even _got_ to that arc in watching Yu-Gi-Oh! way back when, and it just stuck. This story combined both the Japanese and English dubs of the anime series (with some sprinkling of Season 0 reference), but completely ignores the Virtual World arc and the Grand Championship arc for time's sake. Many original characters of DM are included, as well as several new ones of my own design.

(Cookies to those who've read this far) Lastly, I do still welcome all the critique for my writing, but please be aware that-as this story is 10+ years old-there's not much more I'm willing to "change up" in regards to plot or character personality (unless the critique happens to mention a way of making something smoother, or filling any plot holes I may have missed, which is always possible).

 **tl;dr - This story is 10+ years old. There are certain things I am neglecting from the original anime series for the sake of continuity in my story, but nothing of significance to the main plot. The Virtual World Arc and Grand Championship Arc are ignored for this purpose. I appreciate any and all comments and critiques, but please be aware that this story is very old and there's not too much more I'm willing to change for the sake of not wanting to go through it once more for the umpteenth time.**

That being said, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Kazuki Takahashi & KONAMI

All OCs and "YGO AD" story (c) me (Bee)

* * *

The alarm clock went off for a third time; a hand pressed down on the snooze, a small, reluctant groan along with it. He'd been trying to put this day off for months, and now all he could do was extend the time that he had left by nine minutes apiece before suffering the day away.

Except, this time around, there was a knock at his bedroom door, and a call from his mother, "Noah? Are you up _yet_ –?"

He grumbled incoherently into his pillow before sitting up and rubbing the sleep away from his face.

Then he raised his voice enough to be heard, though his speech was still a little slurry, "M'up, Mom, I'm up, really…"

"Well, hurry and get down here to eat, or you'll be late!"

' _Like I_ _ **care**_ _to be on time…?'_ Noah sighed and rolled his eyes, before shoving the bed covers off.

The time finally came for his first day of last year at a new high school, not that he looked forward to attending this school. Firstly, he'd always considered being 'social' to be overrated, and he really only went to school to learn. He was clever enough as it was (in his own eyes) and being around people made him feel claustrophobic and at the same time like a dead battery. He wished his mother would've listened to him about just being home-schooled.

Secondly, it was his _father's_ old high school; the thought alone made his blood boil. He'd tried the past five-to-six years to cut off any ties to the man. And yet, somehow, he found himself running into the name multiple times over in just the past few weeks since he and his mother arrived. He supposed that fate just hated him that way. The sooner he could get through his final year and leave Domino City for good, the better off he'd be.

He groaned once again as he got up and out of bed to pull his uniform on. Noah's appearance didn't even _match_ his surname: he was fairly tall, had naturally-blond hair that _did_ spike up oddly in the back when he'd gotten it cut so short [though he tried to flatten it as best as he could], and bright blue eyes that had some odd mix of light and dark hues. He was fairly normal-looking, actually, considering _his_ genes.

After he'd pulled the uniform on, he grabbed his bag and rushed down the stairs, heading straight for the door and skipping any lectures his mom might give him about another new school.

She did call from the kitchen, leaning halfway over the counter as he ran past the breakfast bar, _"Wait!_ —What about your breakfast–?"

"I'll eat when I get there–!" He quickly replied with a wave of his hand, before the door slammed to punctuate his sentence.

For a moment, she glared at the door, but then gave a huff as her hands went to her hips. She knew already that he wouldn't eat at all.

"Always in a _rush_ to get somewhere, yet somehow _never_ on time to where he _needs_ to be…" She grumbled to herself.

Her glare quickly fell as she thought about it, and then she glanced over to the living room, at a picture of the family taken when Noah was still a child. [Noah had actually insisted on moving it to her room, but she 'asked' for at least _one_ picture to remain in the living room.]

Her shoulders relaxed, and she went over to the picture, taking it into her hands, "Like father, like son, right…?"

Téa looked at the photograph a bit longer, before sighing and looking to the calendar.

' _Ten years since you disappeared…'_

She looked over to the window, carefully setting the picture back down after wiping it of any dust with her apron, _'But I know you didn't just leave like Noah thinks…You wouldn't just walk out on your family…'_

She stared at the image for a bit longer before going back up to get ready for work; however her steps were slow as she head into the bedroom, where much more pictures were set up all around.

Téa gave a small sigh and looked out the window as she took out her ponytail band, combing out her hair, which, by this point, reached the middle of her back.

' _I wish you were here, Yugi…I wish you could see how much he's like you…'_

She paused in combing, lying back on the king-size bed, sitting in the silence for just a moment, _'He wants you home…I know he does…'_

* * *

Noah sprinted to get to the school; Domino High School was still held in high regard, but there was that nagging weight on his shoulders about being enrolled there. Noah was still rather bitter over his mother's insistence of moving back to Domino City. After going between the States and a couple years in London, Domino City was a step down for Noah at this point, more because of its grisly reminders than its actual stature.

With Téa having once been one of the best, world-renowned dancers in New York, it was easy for her to get any job teaching dance at several universities and studios. After many years, she was transferred to London, and they lived there for two years before Téa finally insisted they return to Domino to get back in touch with their hometown. Noah would've much rather stayed in the U.K., even if the last school he was at wasn't the best for him, mentally or education-wise.

But instead, he ran onto the Domino High campus, trying not to be late for his first class and make a bad reputation for himself within less than twenty-four hours.

But as he put one foot on the steps up to the front doors—

 _ **~bump-bump~~**_

He abruptly stopped, pulling back and away from the steps. Maybe it was from having run a mile and a half to get there, but the moment he took that step, it felt like his heart had jumped into his throat, gave a loud beat, and then fell down into his stomach. It gave him a surge of anxiety and dread.

Noah's eyes narrowed, and he tried to go up the steps again. The same thing happened.

' _What in the world…?'_ He thought, stepping back down and looking at the stairs with an arched brow. There didn't seem to be a switch or crack in the steps.

But then he heard the small bell of a bicycle and turned about; right when he did, there was a quick yell of "Look out!" before a bike slid on the dirt and, consequently, rammed into him, sending him right onto his back with a yell and a harsh _**THUD**_.

For a moment he laid there, as the relapse passed over, and he went ahead and gave a light groan [although his pain tolerance was actually pretty high].

Then whoever had rammed into him spoke up, "Oh my gosh, I'm _so_ sorry–! Are you okay–?"

He started getting up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head and starting to flatly mumble, "Yeah…Yeah, I'm just _peachy_ after being rammed into by some crazy, ditzy—"

However, Noah's words came to a halt when he looked at the person, from bottom to top, specifically at a 'her.' And it was a _cute_ 'her,' in his opinion.

Her long, slightly-wavy hair was a lighter blonde than his own and stretched down to her waist, her brown eyes bright and brought out a bit more from the blue bow on her uniform. Her skin was fair, and she was on the taller side, even with her loafers.

Yet, she then glared at him, hands going to her waist as she stood up again, having been bent over him, "Well, _excuse me_ , then. Don't bother getting up on _my_ account."

Noah straightened and sat up a bit more before giving a sheepish frown, "I-I'm sorry…I-I was just startled…"

He got himself up as she put her bike in the racks, and then gently cleared his throat as he brushed himself off, "A-Are you in your last year, too, or…?"

"Yeah," The girl replied, a bit more calmly and politely, "I've been at this high school all four years, though."

"Oh, that's good, actually—See, I'm new here, and I was told my classroom…was…Can I _help you_ with somethin'–?"

Noah's question had come to a halt when she started circling around him, having done so after getting a good look at him.

At his question, she turned and an eyebrow soon rose on her face, her head tilting just a little, "Do I know you?" She asked him finally, "You look like someone I've seen before."

"No," Noah replied, rather abruptly, before giving a shake of his head, "No, I-I've just moved back here recently. You probably haven't seen me at all."

 _Already_ he had to be worried about being associated with his last name.

"You sure?" She replied, circling him and examining him again, "C'mon, it's gonna bug me. I know you from _somewhere."_

His shoulders tensed up from being observed and examined, but he soon gave a harsh sigh, "Look, I _literally_ just moved back here a few weeks ago. I don't know anybody around here."

" _Wait!"_ The girl then brightened, coming up closer to him rather abruptly, _"Now_ I know where I've seen you! It's all in the shape of your face. My dad's told me all about you and your family!"

This time, Noah arched a brow at her, "How would your _dad_ know about my _family?"_

"I can explain later. Would you mind meeting me back here after school?—I-If you're not busy afterwards?"

Noah tensed; this sounded an awful lot like he was about to be told about a life-changing relation that he did not want _any_ part of.

"Th-Thanks, but I-I don't think I—"

"Please? I promise it'll be worth your while. I think you'll recognize my dad _real_ quick."

She stared at Noah with a pleading smile that twisted his guts.

He ended up giving a regretful sigh and gently closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah. All right, sure," He mumbled in defeat.

The girl grinned at him and clasped her hands together, "Great! I'll see you after classes, then–!"

And then she started off to her own classroom, though midway to the door she turned in her heel and gave him a friendly wave.

"Oh, and my name's Jessie!" She shouted before going up the stairs and through the doors.

Noah looked after her tiredly before sighing and slapping a hand to his forehead in exasperation. Two _minutes_ at this school and he'd already set himself up for trouble.

' _Is it just universally_ _ **impossible**_ _for things to go how I want…?'_ He thought to himself.

Still, he gave a sigh and tried walking up the stairs again, the odd feeling of earlier having disappeared, and he went through the doors and headed for his classroom.

* * *

As the final bell rung for the day, Noah actually felt relatively relaxed, moving leisurely as he got his things together. Although, by the end of the day, his nerves rose once again as he headed out to meet Jessie by the racks. She was way too excitable, a bit of a ditz, and definitely clumsy on her wheels.

…Still, it'd been quite some time since he'd had some kind of a companion. As long as he didn't open up too much. He assumed her father would simply apologize for her eagerness and ask him to stay to eat. Simple enough.

Noah stood by the rack, sighing lightly, and sent a brief text to his mother that he was being held up by an hour or so. She never really questioned much when he'd tell her that he was taking more time doing something.

Then there was a small yell, somewhere off to his left, and he turned abruptly with a small jump.

There were two rather large boys towering over a petite, brunette girl over in the nearby shrubbery and tree; she sat on the ground, skirt and bow slightly disheveled, looking up at them with her hazel eyes, her hair pulled back out of her face by a bright yellow headband.

"Please, leave me alone–!" She said to them firmly, backing up on the ground and trying to keep her voice loud to attract attention.

One of them lifted her back up by the upper arm, holding her tightly, "Oh c'mon…you're not in a position to refuse us…"

She tried to tug her arm away, though not out of his grip, "I said already for you not to touch me–!"

The boy holding her smirked before something came over the back of his head; he yelled out and let go of her, but then was yanked back and thrown to the ground. Upon looking up, he saw Noah standing before the girl, bag slung over his shoulder.

Noah glared back at him, eyes soon narrowing, "When a girl says to leave her alone, _ya leave her the hell alone,_ bastard."

"Stay outta this, beanpole," The other boy replied, standing up again, "Don't go nosin' into people's business."

"It's been _made_ my business," Noah threatened, tossing his bag aside.

The two glared at him, but then one came at Noah with a quick rush; almost as a second reflex, Noah whipped around and stretched a leg, swerving and tripping him so that he crashed into the tree. The second tried the same, and Noah took him by the wrist, bending his arm behind his back, temporarily incapacitating him, but then he turned him about and shoved him against the first guy so that they both were thrown back into the tree, stunned and collapsed.

Noah straightened, fixing his jacket and giving a small "hmph."

The girl gave a small sigh of relief, coming over to Noah after getting his bag.

He was brushing his sleeves off as he asked her, "Did they hurt you at all?"

She shook her head, a bit frazzled, but managed to give him a weak smile, "N-No, no, they didn't. I-I'm fine…Thank you."

His eyes softened in return and he took his bag when she offered it, though he then saw Jessie coming over to them from the racks.

She frowned, glancing at the two collapsed boys, "Hey—Is everything okay? I saw you fighting…"

"It wasn't really much of a _fight…"_ Noah muttered, eyeing the two.

Jessie sighed a little before glaring lightly at him, tone coming out in a chastising way, "You're gonna get in trouble if you keep picking fights like that."

Before Noah could counter her comment, Jessie smiled to the other girl first, "Hey, Sarah–!"

As she abruptly hugged her, the other girl chuckled tiredly while smiling softly, "Hi, Jessie…"

Noah looked between them, "You two know each other–?"

"We're cousins," Sarah replied with a nod while Jessie drew back.

Jessie then brightened, "Oh! Speaking of which, I was going to introduce Daddy to—" She gave a small frown to Noah, "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

He frowned at her while Sarah spoke up with an arched brow, "You invited him over without even asking for his _name…?"_

"But look at his face!" Jessie replied eagerly, then turning Noah to Sarah for her to look at him, and he flinched at the movement, "Tell me you recognize this face!"

Sarah arched a brow before she finally got a good look at him, "Hang on…Yeah, okay, I think I see it now," She smiled weakly, "I had to remember that group photo your dad has, Jess. But it's a long-shot—my dad said the family moved away, like, ten years ago…"

"But my dad will know for _sure!_ That's why I'm bringing him with me!"

Noah finally sighed harshly and looked between them, "Mind telling me _who_ this guy is that should know me and I should know him–?"

"C'mon, c'mon!" Jessie replied, taking him by the arm, and, after getting her bike, they were off, "Just trust me, you'll know him when you see him! This'll be so _great!"_

"I'm gonna apologize ahead of time for her," Sarah replied to Noah, trailing after the two as Jessie tugged him along in one hand while she had her bike in the other, "She's really…excitable."

"Oddly enough, I've already figured that out," He answered flatly.

* * *

Where they were, Noah had never been before; it had to be a newer place, but it looked to be a café squished between two larger buildings. It was on the smaller side, compared to the rest of downtown, but it looked to be in good business, for the most part.

He arched a brow, "What is this–? I don't remember this being here…"

"A café our dads work at—on the side, anyway. It was built a few years back," Sarah explained, "It was more _my_ dad's idea, but he's a _fantastic_ cook, and Jessie's dad definitely has enough… _personality_ to bring people in."

Jessie left her bike chained up outside, and as they stepped into the café, there was a rather large rise in temperature from the machines running in the building. It had a rustic-city look to the interior, and it smelled like coffee and baked goods.

Jessie went up to the counter, speaking to the barista after she was greeted by name, "Could you tell my dad to come up front? There's someone I _really_ want him to meet."

He gave a nod and left the counter for a moment, meanwhile Noah looked at some of the pictures that hung on the walls.

For the most part there were families, a few well-known political figures of Domino, perhaps one celebrity—except the one photo that caught his eye was the picture of his father, with his mother and a large group of people whom he just vaguely recognized. His mother kept a similar photo in her bedroom. Perhaps he'd met all the people in the photo as a child, but he couldn't have been too old.

His eyes widened a bit before the barista came back and smiled to Jessie, "He says he'll be out in a moment, Miss Wheeler."

Noah swerved and looked to her in shock, jaw dropping, " _Wheeler?_ Jessie _Wheeler?_ N-No _way,_ not as in like _the_ —"

But he stopped and came closer as a male came out from the back to the front counter; the shaggy blond hair and brown eyes coupled with the height was all too familiar to what Noah had always seen on old posters and in the man's televised Duels.

Noah's eyes were wide again, his jaw dropping once more, _"Joey Wheeler…!?"_


	2. Part 2

Joey's brown eyes still held the light and enthusiasm they always had, and although most of his blond hair was under a cap, he wiped his hands on the apron around his waist and smiled. Or smirked. But his expression had softened with age, a small bit of hair could be seen on his chin.

Noah's eyes were wide as he stared at him, "Y-You're _the_ Joey Wheeler…!"

Joey gave a proud grin, drawing his shoulders back, "Nice to know I'm still recognized in the community."

Jessie looked at him with a small smirk, "You haven't been out of the circuit _that_ long, Daddy…"

Joey shrugged nonchalantly, but Noah took his hand in a small shake, "I've been following your dueling since I was a _kid!_ —I-I mean, not for a _long_ time, b-but—It's an honor to meet you–!"

This made a small blush appear in Joey's cheeks and he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, "Well, I _am_ up there with the King of Games, after all…"

A voice from the back room floated through the swinging doors, "Careful there, it took twenty years to deflate that ego even a little bit. We'd like to keep it that way."

Joey looked back at the door with a light glare as he let go of Noah's hand, "Hey, I'm not _that_ bad!"

Another blonde woman came from the back room afterwards, rather tall herself along with voluptuous, wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail and violet eyes that grew bright when she saw Jessie, "Hey there, sweetie—I see _you're_ excited about something."

Jessie then grinned and stood behind Noah, her hands at his shoulders, "Mom, Daddy—Look at his face. _Tell me_ you _recognize_ this face!"

Noah tensed a little, sighing to himself and mumbling, "Not this again…"

Except he was startled when Joey only shrugged and replied, "'Course I do, it's Noah. Why?"

Sarah looked to him in slight surprise, "Wait, you do? For real? You actually know him?"

Joey looked back with an arched brow, like the answer was obvious, "Sure I do." He looked at Noah with a shrug, "Though last I saw ya, you were only about three or so."

Noah's brows knit, "But…r-really? Y-You were there–? Wh-When I was a kid?"

"Well, yeah! Ya didn't think I wouldn't want to see my best friend's son, didja? I mean, your ma never told ya Yugi put me down as your godfather in case anything happened? Téa just didn't wanna overwhelm ya."

Noah looked all the more discomforted, shoulders growing rigid, "B-But…"

" _Hey, where's the fire at–?"_

From the front, another couple came in, and Sarah smiled and went up to the female of the pair, "Hi, there–!"

The young woman smiled, and then she looked over to Joey; she had long, reddish-brown hair and brown eyes that matched Joey's, and the shape of her face matched Sarah's. Meanwhile, the man behind her was broad-shouldered and dark brown hair, styled in a form of modern-day elvis.

The woman arched a brow at Joey behind the counter, "What's up, Joey? What's going on?"

He smiled fondly, motioning to Noah, "T, Serenity, take a look at who walked in."

The other couple seemed to recognize him immediately as well, though it was Tristan who responded with a small grin, "Oh, hey! You're Yugi's boy, right?—"

" _I am_ _ **not**_ _his boy,_ " Noah replied harshly suddenly, voice a bit too firm, hands clenching into fists.

A bit of silence fell before he turned back to be facing Joey, voice calming and quieting a bit, "I'm his son…I am _not_ his 'boy.' Not anymore. And I don't care to be."

Joey's brows knit, "That's a pretty heavy statement, Kiddo."

"Look, I'm _just_ 'Noah,' okay?" Noah replied firmly, volume rising a bit more, "I've only _just_ moved back for my senior year. I'm finishing up the school year and then I am _gone."_

"But you can't just _go_ ," Jessie replied, a bit startled by his resolve, "Domino City is your family's stomping grounds! You _belong_ here!"

"I don't belong anywhere where _that man_ was!" Noah replied harshly, pointing back at the group picture on the wall, "Every step he walked was empty and a lie, and I'm not gonna fill 'em just to protect him! He doesn't deserve it!"

Joey straightened at that, coming around the counter and looking to Noah sternly, though he kept his voice gentle, "Okay, fine. No one's gonna argue with ya right now. Mind telling me why you have such a problem with my best bud, though…?"

Noah straightened before moving back, looking away, while he quickly deflated, "I-I don't know why I should…"

"I'm a father myself, _and_ a big brother, Noah. I know mistreatment of a child when I see it, and I can't exactly believe the Yugi _I_ know would mistreat his kid."

Noah looked down at his feet, calming for just the moment, "He _wasn't_ the Yugi you know…not from what I remember…"

"And what _do_ you remember?"

"Not much before the age of five," Noah shook his head once, "My memory sucks, okay…? I've never been able to remember my childhood well. All I can call back on my own is a fight I had with D—"

He fell abruptly silent, glancing up with a brief flash of panic on his face before looking away; Joey could tell who he meant.

Joey frowned briefly, but then took a small breath, "What do you remember about _him,_ though…?"

After a moment's hesitation, Noah looked back up at him. His eyes stung just a little already, "I just…remember him being gone a lot…Like _all the time_ …A-And then when I would actually see him, he would just ignore me or tell me he was busy…"

Joey straightened at this, more than a bit startled.

"Anything _good…?"_ He went ahead and asked hopefully.

Noah's throat felt tight, and he tugged on the hem of his jacket.

"Not really…" He replied quietly, "There's…some…not a lot…I-I can't remember it very well…"

To be honest, that had always bugged him; he really could only remember the neglection, not any of the good times he'd had with his father before he turned seven and Yugi started changing. But talking about it also brought up the ugly memories and it made Noah's sturdy demeanor dissolve a little.

"I-I need to go, M-Mom will be home by now and I only told her I'd be gone an hour," He replied suddenly, in a single breath, repositioning his backpack.

Joey straightened from the abruptness, but said nothing more as Noah headed for the door.

Jessie went after him and stopped him, frowning, "W-Wait, i-it's okay, we don't have to talk about it anymore—"

"That is _exactly_ why you brought me here," He replied sternly, a light glare on his face though it wasn't as harsh, "If you didn't want any of that crap brought up, you should've left me be after you ran into me."

And then he continued out, not once looking back as he headed down the street, back home.

From inside the café, Joey looked after Noah with concern, and Mai spoke to him after a minute of silence.

"That boy's been hurt. And pretty badly, too," She said softly, looking to Joey with knit brows, "No wonder Téa moved away so quickly…"

He sighed softly, giving a small nod, "Yeah…" He looked back at Mai, "I just can't believe Yugi did that to him, though, y'know–?"

"But we don't know what happened before he disappeared," Serenity mused softly, a small frown on her face, "Something could've changed in Yugi. He _did_ stop talking to all of us a couple years beforehand, and no one has seen or heard from him…"

Joey looked down in thought for a minute, but then took off his cap and tossed it lazily on the counter, "I'm gonna go after 'im and check on 'im—and Téa, too. I'm done with 'em not talkin' to us."

"How come?" Tristan questioned as Joey moved behind the counter.

"Cuz they're my best friend's family and I'm responsible for 'em while Yug's gone," Joey replied firmly, "Anyone else comin' with–?"

* * *

The door shut with a slam.

Noah knew his mother would get after him for it, but at the moment he felt a bit too numbed to care. Numbing was his defense mechanism; it was how he coped when too much emotion came up at once.

When no one got after him for the door, he went ahead and gave a small call, "Mom? I'm home–!"

No response came to that either; then Noah took notice of the note on the counter in the kitchen, and he set his bag down heavily by the couch.

' _I'll be at the store after work, so if you get home before me, make sure not to eat too much. I want to make something special for you after your first day. And I want to hear all about it! ~ Mom'_

Noah sighed heavily after reading it, before crunching up the note in his hands and tossing it away. Téa was gone a fair amount, though not because she wanted to be; Noah had taken a fair amount of small jobs when he turned sixteen, to help pay for things while his mother worked full time as an instructor. Upon moving back to Domino City, Téa insisted that he take it easy so that he could focus on school, and she took on a new job teaching dance at one of the small universities in Domino.

Noah sighed and trudged over to the couch, sitting against the back of it; from the side table next to him, he took the family picture and slumped back, looking at it with his chest feeling tight.

He felt around the frame as he gazed at the picture, sighing heavily again. He _did_ wish he could remember at least a _little_ of his childhood, of the good times he'd had with his father. Maybe it would lessen the pain (he scoffed to himself). He knew there was a fair amount of good memories up until he turned seven, when Yugi started changing suddenly and began ignoring him, but it was like his mind purposefully blocked them out.

Noah knew Joey was only trying to help and understand, and he supposed he appreciated the concern, but at the same time he wished he had just said 'no' to Jessie and went on home after his first day. He could've avoided everything if he'd just said 'no.'

One thing he did remember about Yugi, at the very least when he was a child, was that he'd been very loving and understanding when Noah was a kid. From an early age, Noah was seen as the outcast and an odd boy. He couldn't remember why, but he remembered that whenever he came home after a hard day, Yugi would be there with open arms waiting, and words of encouragement following after, offering to show him his Deck and make jelly-filled sandwiches to cheer him up. It was something Noah had always looked forward to at the end of the day.

But then when Noah turned seven, Yugi started changing. He stayed away from home more often than not, and he would ignore Noah when he _was_ at home. He would see his parents argue a bit, though Téa did a bit more of the actual yelling than Yugi did, and Noah was surprised when he figured out that she meant it.

And then Noah's ninth birthday rolled around. It seemed like, that whole month, Yugi had begun to get fairly sick, but he was still away from home too often. He was ignoring Noah a bit less, but then he would just sit with Noah and hug him, not saying a single word. It was very uncomfortable for an eight-year-old.

The night before Noah's birthday, the child finally asked Yugi on his own that his father would stay home the next day, which shouldn't have been as hard for Noah to ask as it was.

It was all too easily and monotonous that Yugi said he couldn't. And something snapped in Noah that day. By this point, he could only remember being in a fit of rage, yelling at Yugi and 'meaning it' himself. He _did_ recall telling his father that he hated him, and that if he left again, he better not _ever_ come back.

It almost seemed Noah had gotten his wish: Yugi disappeared the next day, and never came back afterwards. He left Téa and Noah to fend for themselves, and he was never seen again.

Coming back to himself, Noah hardly noticed how tight his hold was on the photograph.

With decent force, he threw the picture away, trembling all over and not even flinching once the glass shattered in the frame from impact with the hardwood floors.

' _It was all a lie,'_ A dark little voice would whisper to him, _'You told him to never come back, it's all your fault. He never cared about you, it was all a lie.'_

' _No it wasn't,'_ A different whisper would tell him, even as a child, _'He cared for you, he loved you. It wasn't his fault, and it wasn't yours.'_

More often than not, Noah would lean on that encouraging whisper, perhaps because it reminded him of Yugi, or perhaps because it sounded so real, so genuine.

As a child, Noah had always believed that strong voice to belong to an imaginary friend of his. The friend almost acted like an older brother, always encouraging and a voice of reason. Of course, it was usually _just_ a voice. A few times, when he was older, Noah believed he was just crazy. Presently, he still believed that to an extent.

At some point though, Noah had to dismiss it, deciding that he needed to 'grow up' and leave behind his childhood things, like dueling, and singing, and drawing…and his imaginary friend. He would catch himself doodling or humming from time to time, he couldn't completely stop habits like that. But he never heard that encouraging voice again.

And it was times like this, when Noah was alone and feeling small, that he wished he hadn't gotten rid of his imaginary friend. A bit too old at this point, perhaps, but at least it would've been someone to talk to.

Somehow, Noah had managed to get himself up to his room and changed out of his uniform into a more comfortable t-shirt and jeans. He still felt numbed at this point, so he just figured he would go sit and wait for his mother to come home.

Right when he got to the bottom of the steps, a few hard pounds were made on the door. Noah flinched, knowing his mother never knocked like that. [ _'Doesn't she have her key on her anyway?'_ He mused to himself.]

So, he went up to the door, about to unlock it.

 _ ***bump—bump—***_

He yanked his hand back.

It was the same feeling he'd gotten earlier, at the stairs of Domino High, right before Jessie rammed into him. His heart gave a hard beat in his throat and then fell to his stomach.

His brows knit, _'There it is again…what even_ _ **is**_ _that…?'_

To satisfy the nagging feeling in his gut, he instead checked out the peephole, or at least had intended to.

But before he could even check through the small hole, the door was forced open and he was pressed against the wall with a terse groan.

He pushed the door closed to get it off, rubbing his shoulder, where he'd gotten the most impact, "Hey, who the hell d'you think you—"

This time, something came at him across the face in a punch, knocking him off his feet. He first wiped at his mouth, but then also felt a sting to his cheek, where a small cut had been made.

"I told ya not to go nosin' into other people's business…"

Noah snatched up his head, surprised to see the two males he'd gotten off of Sarah earlier darkening the doorway.

His eyes narrowed, nearly snarling, "Great: instead of rape, you can get arrested for breaking and entering _and_ assault."

The taller of the two males picked Noah up by the shirt; he had black hair pulled back from his face into a tight ponytail, and his eyes looked sly with their gray irises.

"We were never _properly_ introduced…" He replied, jerking his head to the other male first, and then giving a terse nod for himself, "Kevin, and Jet."

The other male was shorter, and a bit more stout, skin and hair dark and he had a scar across his cheek. He glared at Noah himself, teeth bared in an attempt of intimidation, "You made us miss a hot night, newbie!"

"Oh, I'm _sorry_ , but a lady has to _give you_ permission to let you touch her. Clearly you two were raised by _snakes."_

He earned another punch for this, though he managed to get himself off the ground before Jet got him back up by the collar again.

"I'll teach ya another principle to live by," Jet replied with a slight rasp, "Pick your fights better."

He threw Noah to the ground, twirling a dagger at the hilt; it had almost just 'appeared' in his hand, though Noah could see how he'd been cut earlier.

Except then he threw the dagger at Noah after letting go, and multiple others from thin air after the first. Noah backed up quickly enough to miss being hit, but then his eyes widened at how they _had_ all just _appeared_.

Jet gave a small chuckle at his shock, "Oh, yeah, forgot to tell ya. Apparently, you pissed off someone else, along with us. He has a bone to pick with you, too."

Noah straightened, "Unlike you guys, I don't go around _looking_ for fights!—I don't know who you're talking about!"

But his shoulders fell in shock when Kevin pointed at him, "Noah Mutou, only son-a Yugi Mutou, five-foot-ten, blond hair, blue eyes, and a scar on the back-a yer neck from a childhood accident."

Noah flinched and put a hand to his neck, right where the scar was. His voice was quiet at this point, "H-How did you know that…!?"

" _We_ didn't, but this guy did. You may not know 'im, but _he_ knows _you_ ," Jet replied with a smirk.

Noah's eyes widened sharply, while Kevin rubbed his fingers together, "He paid us a pretty sum to bring back a head, too. So let's get it on, already!"

Just when Noah was standing up, back against the wall, Kevin drew in a harsh breath and spat, but what came out was what looked like webbing instead of a spitwad. Noah cringed with a yell of disgust as it stuck to his wrists and the wall, and then winced when it burned into his skin. He gave a few tugs to try and see if he could free himself, but tensed when he found himself stuck.

"Guy gave us a couple pretty pieces ahead-a time, too," Jet replied, smirk broadening, "Nice guy, ain't he?"

Noah cringed again, breathing quickening from the drastic turn of situation.

Before he could think very far on what to do, Jet grabbed his hair, drawing his head back, aiming another dagger at his neck just below the Adam's Apple.

"Now, why don't we finish the job and get that head to our new friend…?"

Noah's eyes were wide, a few gasps escaping him as he hyperventilated. Death had never frightened him, but his body being left for his mother to find was terrifying.

' _Please…! I don't want to have her hurting anymore…! I don't want her to find me like that–!'_ He thought to God-knew-who, or perhaps he was just praying to someone in general, _'Please, I need help–! Somebody,_ _ **anybody**_ _who can help!_ _ **Please**_ _–!'_

He thought Jet might've sliced his throat already when he was blinded by a white light; he didn't feel any pain at his neck, but he also wasn't totally numbed either.

The light burned off whatever was keeping his wrists bound to the wall, and then Jet let go of his hair. Noah exhaled sharply in relief, slumping to his knees and panting for the moment.

When he finally looked up a bit, he didn't see Jet or Kevin before him, but he saw crudely-made slip-on shoes instead, or at least they were crude, compared to modern-day sneakers.

Noah backed up to sit against the wall, gaze slowly moving upward to take in the appearance of the new body before him.

It was a presence vaguely familiar to Noah, almost like they were much older than they appeared. The eyes were intent with a violet hue, skin darkened by everyday exposure to direct sunlight added to a naturally-darker skin tone. The tunic and royal-purple cape he wore were fastened with pure gold, as was the crown that fell over his forehead.

Noah's eyes were wide, mouth parted as the person looked down at him with concern. Then their brows knit, asking in a gentle tone, "Are you all right…?"

Noah blinked a few times, thinking he was either hallucinating, or was in the process of dying and hallucinating because of it.

"I…th-think so…" He got out in a whisper, still staring in shock.

The royal-looking man before him looked over him for just a moment more before turning his back to Noah, spreading his arms out in protection.

"I will not permit you to harm him any further," He said to the two, voice now harsh and stern.

Noah flinched at the tone, but he looked at the male's back with knit brows.

' _Who…Who_ _ **are**_ _you…?'_


	3. Part 3

Noah remained where he was on the ground, still looking at the strange man with wide eyes when he found his voice again, "Wh-Who _are_ you…?"

He was met with a kind gaze as the man looked over his shoulder, giving a nod, "I'm your friend."

The phrase seemed to trigger some old, hidden memory within Noah, because he relaxed almost instantly; his shoulders fell, despite his eyes still being narrowed in confusion.

At least, until Jet finally spoke up again, and aimed the dagger at the stranger instead, "Look—wh-whatever-you-are…—this doesn't involve ya. Step away from the spiky-haired _freak_ and leave us be."

As Noah gingerly rubbed his wrists, he glared across the way, "It's not _that_ spiky…"

The stranger smirked and gave a shrug, shaking his head to motion to his own star-shaped hair, "I'm afraid I have to agree."

Kevin then came a couple steps closer, "We got paid to do this job, all right? So step off, or we'll take care of you, _first!"_

Noah straightened with a small jolt, glaring rather abruptly, before shooting up and stepping before the stranger in protection, _"Leave him_ _ **alone**_ _–!"_

He had no idea who the man was, but for some reason he felt important. Noah stretched his arms out, "Do whatever you want to me, but don't you _dare_ try to hurt him!"

The two across the way only gave small smirks and were ready to lunge; Noah clenched his jaw, but then a hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped. Well, he couldn't blame it as a hallucination anymore.

"Noah, do you trust me?"

Noah's eyes widened before just barely glancing over his shoulder, "H-How do you know my—"

" _Do you trust me–?"_ The man questioned again, a bit sterner than the first time.

Noah looked ahead at Jet and Kevin once more, hesitating before taking in a deep breath

He slowly nodded with conviction.

Jet let out what sounded like an angry roar and both he and Kevin charged forward. Noah tensed up, but then the white glow covered the room again; a sudden wind circulated the room, and Noah felt the stranger move to stand back-to-back with him.

Noah was startled by the paranormal activity around them, but then his eyes fell forward, expression soon blanking out as the white glow coated the two of them. The strange man then abruptly disappeared.

Jet and Kevin backed up more, especially once the glow became centered around Noah.

An odd shape appeared on his forehead and he gasped curtly. The shape looked something like a golden, glowing eye, and his own eyes became a blank white.

The bright light then filled the room, blowing out the glass in the windows on the first floor.

By the time it died down, it remained a radiated glow around Noah, and the two males looked back at them before their shoulders fell, bravado and glares lost.

The figure before them didn't look like Noah; in fact, it didn't even look like the stranger.

It looked like some odd mix of the two, Noah's hair, but in a shade of black. The eyes were thinner, the shoulders broader, but Noah's height remained. Except the iris was not present in the eyes, and they glowed bright white along with the Eye on their forehead.

The new figure glared at the two, snarling at them, " _Leave my territory. And_ _ **never**_ _return."_

The other two responded by screaming and then rushed out the front door in a sprint, not looking back once.

* * *

A few blocks away, Jessie, Sarah, Joey, and Tristan were walking down towards the house, having left things like school bags, aprons and caps back at the café before heading off.

"You sure they moved back to the _same_ place?" Tristan asked Joey at one point.

Joey gave a nod, "Yeah, at least that's the last I heard from Téa when she sent me an email. Nobody bothered to buy the place after hearing what happened. It's nearby Gramp's shop."

Jessie looked back at him, "The Kame Game Shop–? I thought it wasn't in business?"

"It hasn't been, since Yugi disappeared. He _was_ the one keeping it going."

A car passed them right then, coming to a stop at the end of the street, just a couple yards ahead of them. Joey did a double-take, recognizing the woman driving the car [since the window had been rolled down].

"Hey, wait up a minute—" He told the other three before rushing over to the car before the light could change.

Once close enough, he leaned down and looked to the driver with a smirk, "And you always got after _me_ for bein' late to the party!"

Téa had yelled in surprise before she glared at him, "Joey Wheeler, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

When the light turned, she turned onto the street for the house, but then briefly parked the car to get out. Having calmed from the scare, she grinned to Tristan and Joey, going up to the two to embrace them as they did her.

"Oh, I missed you guys…!" She said first, before drawing back and looking to them, "What's up? We have so much to catch up on—where are you guys heading?"

Joey gave a small sigh, rubbing his neck, "To-uh…check up on yer kid. My girl brought him by the café earlier."

Téa straightened, but then noticed Sarah and Jessie behind the two males and smiled fondly, "Look how much you two have grown…! You look wonderful…I haven't seen you girls since you were little."

They smiled in response, but then Téa frowned at Joey again, "What…do you mean you wanted to _check_ on Noah? If he was just with you…"

He frowned, "He didn't exactly leave the café in high spirits."

She was quiet for a moment before sighing, "Yugi was brought up, wasn't he…?"

"How did _you_ know?" Jessie asked with a small jump.

Téa shook her head, "I know him too well…Whenever Yugi gets brought up, he responds either by turning on his heel and walking away, or saying something along the lines of that he doesn't know who Yugi is."

"Yeah, we got that impression earlier," Tristan replied with a nod.

She passed a hand over her face, sighing again, "I'm sorry…I know I should've sent you guys something when we got in, but—Noah was already upset we were even coming back here, he didn't want anything to _do_ with Yugi…"

She sighed again, a bit gentler, "When something like this happens, he's silent for the rest of the day…I wish he would say something, or talk about it a bit…"

"Can't blame him for not wantin' to, though," Joey replied softly, "I mean, it doesn't sound like he and Yugi had the _best_ relationship."

Before she could respond again, a small energy wave passed over them from somewhere down the street. They all flinched, and then looked in direction of the wave, noticing a bright white glow emitting from one of the houses.

After a moment of quiet, Tristan frowned at Téa, "Do we even _need_ to ask 'who lives there?'"

She shook her head, going back over to the car while quickly saying "I'll meet you at the house."

Then she started up the car and headed down the street, the other four following after her on foot.

Upon reaching the house, she left her things in the car and sped up to the front door. She noticed the door had been forced open, and the damages to the hinges, but before she could get that far in, Jet and Kevin bolted past her.

She heard them yell, and heard something along the lines of "He's crazy–! He's a freak or somethin'–!" but they were gone before she could ask.

Then she went further in, hesitant and hands shaking just a bit; her heart was pounding hard in her chest, recognizing that houses that were broken into like this usually resulted in severe injury or murder.

"Noah?" She hesitantly called, a small quiver to her lip.

Then she stopped in her tracks with a small gasp at seeing the new figure at one end of the living room wearing Noah's clothes. Only it still didn't look like Noah.

Once the figure took notice of her, a small smile crept onto the face. Joey, Tristan, Sarah, and Jessie came up behind her, just in time to see the figure themselves.

Except, then the white glow abruptly dimmed into null, and the Eye on the figure's forehead also disappeared. Simultaneously, the black hair tinted back to blond, and the eyes closed. Noah collapsed to his knees, and soon to the ground.

The gentle _thud_ from his fall startled everyone, and Téa was first to come over and move to her knees, turning Noah to his back.

"What the _hell_ just happened–?" Joey asked as he came over himself, eyes a bit wide.

Téa was looking over Noah with wide eyes herself, surprised at the slight bruising on his neck and the burns on his wrists.

"Who would do this to you…!?" She asked softly, more to herself.

At her question, though, Noah stirred, giving a light groan from a relapse of the numbness that had come over him.

Eventually Noah's eyes fluttered open, dazed for a minute before noticing the blue eyes above his own, "Mom…!"

Téa frowned before bringing him up in her lap enough to hug him, "I was so scared…! I thought I lost you, too…"

He put a hand over her arm, a weak smile on his face, "M'okay, Mom…"

But he noticed the four extra people and jumped, looking between them with knit brows, "Wh-Why're _you_ …?"

"Came to check up on ya," Joey replied softly, offering a shrug, "Ya didn't exactly seem in the best state back there when ya left."

A weak smile came onto Noah's face, and he nodded once, "Thanks…"

Téa then finally gave him a light glare, "Noah Solomon _Mutou_ , what _happened?"_

He groaned a little as he sat up, sighing tiredly, "I…I helped out Sarah earlier with two idiots and they came by to 'tell me off'…"

His eyes narrowed before he looked back to Téa, a worried look on his face, "They…They said someone paid them to kill me. I-I don't know who, but he knew about me. He told them about the scar I have on the back of my neck."

Her eyes were wide and she was startled before growing worried.

Then Noah shook his head, looking to the floor, "Th-They weren't human anymore…whoever this guy is, he… _changed_ them or somethin'. One of 'em could make daggers appear from thin air and the other could spit acid…" He lifted a hand to motion to the burns on his wrists.

"Mind enlightening on us on how you managed _not_ to _die,_ then?" Sarah asked flatly, though her brows were furrowed.

" _I_ didn't. A-At least, I-I had help," He specified, before looking off, a light frown forming on his forehead as he tried to remember the face, "It…He looked like…an old friend I had, when I was really little…"

Then he looked up at Téa again, "And he…kinda looked like Dad. A lot like him, actually. But his hair was different, he had darker skin, a-and a deeper voice. A-And he was wearing this—"

"Egyptian cape?" She finished quietly, face placid, "And really refined, old-looking gold?"

Noah's eyes widened, before arching a brow, "Y-Yeah, how did _you_ know?"

She pressed her lips for a moment, before glancing to Joey and Tristan. They looked to each other for a minute, and then each nodded back to her.

Téa then took a deep breath before looking to Noah intently, "Do you…remember those old stories your father and I would tell you when you were little? About adventures all over the world, and Egypt, and the Shadows?"

It took a moment, but Noah shrugged a shoulder and gave a nod, "Yeah. A little, anyway."

She hesitated before taking another breath, "At one point in time, there existed the Millennium Puzzle. It carried the spirit of an Egyptian Pharaoh, whose memory was lost over five-thousand years after saving the world from a great evil in the past. No one could figure out the Puzzle's secrets, until finally one young man managed to solve the Millennium Puzzle in hope of his greatest wish being granted."

"Mom, I'm a bit _old_ for this story," Noah interjected tiredly with furrowed brows.

"It…isn't _just_ a story, Noah."

He jumped, eyes widening again.

Téa nodded once, "When he was young…your father had received the Millennium Puzzle from your great-grandfather. It was broken into pieces back then, but when your father finally put it back together—after eight years—it called back that ancient spirit, and it bonded the two minds in one body."

Noah's eyes remained wide; when he'd been told these fairytales, he was always told it was just a young man. It had _never_ been specified that it was his father.

"But…th-then, the ' _young_ _man'_ from all those stories, that…!"

"That was Yugi. Your father," She replied with a nod, moving a lock of her hair behind her ear before looking to him again, "When he solved the Millennium Puzzle, though, it also released a dark energy that had been present within all seven of the Millennium Items. After your father and the spirit bonded, they worked as partners to defeat the enemies that they came up against, who sought out the power of the Millennium Items for their own gain."

It was quiet for a moment, but then Téa's gaze softened, "The same great evil that the spirit had defeated before also returned with the dark energy. After gathering the seven Millennium Items, the spirit returned to the ancient world he first defeated the great evil, to defeat it again. He, and your father, helped to prevent the spread of darkness of the world once more."

The look on Noah's face would've been comical had the gravity of the situation not been present. It looked like a mix of anger, confusion, and some sort of frustration.

"You…Y-You've gotta be _kidding_ me…!" He finally responded at one point, expression unchanging, "My _father_ helped save the world–!?"

"Weird stuff is in your family history," Joey replied bluntly with a nod, and a weak smirk.

Noah's expression did soften a little, but then looked back to Téa, "But…why does any of this matter at all _now?"_

"From what it sounds like…that same spirit is…the man who protected you," Téa replied softly, though she looked off afterwards, "Which…honestly _still_ doesn't make sense. Because after the evil was defeated, your father helped the spirit to pass onto the afterlife. He's been gone ever since."

Noah's brows knit and his eyes narrowed, "So…th-then how _was_ he able to help me, if it was really the same spirit?"

 _ ***bump—bump***_

A terse gasp escaped Noah sudden, and his eyes widened, catching himself with his hand while the other went to his heart.

"Noah!" Téa jumped when he nearly doubled over, putting a hand to his shoulder while the others looked on with worry, "Noah, what's wrong–?"

Noah's eyes remained wide, and terse groans escaped him while each heartbeat grew fiery and hot. The same heat began coursing through his blood, and the fibers of his irises were suddenly dyed with a bright amethyst.

"He's burnin' up," Joey said to Téa after feeling Noah's forehead, and then looking to her in worry, "We need to get him to the hospital or somethin'—at least get him lying down."

Except, Noah then began half-clawing at the button-down shirt he wore until he finally got it open over his chest to show a shape having suddenly been 'carved' [at least it _looked_ carved] into his skin, over his stomach. It was the shape of an upside-down triangle, a ringlet above it.

"Wh-What is this!?" He hissed out, before giving a small yell of pain. It almost looked like his hair was spiking up on its own.

Téa's eyes widened at seeing the shape, "Th-That looks like…!"

She wasn't able to finish, for Noah then suddenly snatched up his head, eyes becoming a blank white once more, and the Eye reappeared on his forehead. The white glow surrounded him again, and Joey pulled Téa back and away, giving the light room to move around Noah. It then clung to his form, becoming a white silhouette, and it lifted him into the air just a little so that it could continue to work around him.

The silhouette began to shift and change even more than earlier, and where the shape had been on Noah's stomach, it rose up, becoming a physical object. A chain shot from the ringlet, moving around his neck and then back to the upside-down pyramid. That was where the glow first died off, showing what the object was first.

Then the rest of the white glow dimmed on the figure, said silhouette having changed to be someone else entirely.

While Jessie and Sarah each backed away, startled and overwhelmed, Téa, Tristan, and Joey all looked on with pleasantly-surprised gazes.

Once the new person in the room was set back on the ground, presence suddenly heavy in the room, any leftover glow diffused into null.

His eyes opened, and he looked to Joey, Téa, and Tristan with fondness, a smile growing on his face.

"I missed you…"


	4. Part 4

There was a long span of silence, in which time Tèa, Joey, and Tristan, each stared at the 'stranger' in shock and surprise.

Though, after a few minutes, Joey finally managed to speak, "Pharaoh–?"

The young man's smile broadened, and he gave a nod of confirmation, before holding out a hand.

Tèa then grinned and ran to him, skipping right over handshakes to wrap her arms around his middle in a hug. He was a bit startled, but smiled and put his hands to her shoulders fondly.

However, Jessie and Sarah stood by each other and looked to the pharaoh in a slight bit of anxiousness. Sarah was first to ask, "Dad—wh-who is–?"

Tristan smiled in a reassuring manner, "It's okay, girls. This is a _very_ good friend of ours."

Joey grinned to the pharaoh as Tèa let go, shaking the other's hand in excitement, "I can't believe it! What're _you_ doin' back?"

The pharaoh shrugged nonchalantly, though his smile faltered just a little, "That'll take a bit to explain…but—I want to know how everyone is, and—"

He stopped abruptly and the smile faded from his face rather quickly. "But…Where's Yugi?"

This caused all to straighten, and Joey and Tristan each cleared their throats in discomfort.

Tèa took it upon herself to take a deep breath and look to him sadly, voice quieted a great deal. "Yugi is…he's gone. He's _been_ gone…"

The pharaoh's eyes widened sharply and he straightened, stunned to silence for a brief moment.

Then he spoke quietly as well, still a bit confused, though surprised as well, " _No_ …How? He can't just be _'gone'_ —where is he, what happened to him?"

"W-We don't know…he disappeared almost ten years ago and there hasn't been any word from him since…"

"He wouldn't just _leave._ Something had to have happened to him," He replied, eyes determined, while a hand moved over the Puzzle, "Not the Yugi I knew."

"I know that…We all do…" Tèa said softly, "But before he disappeared, he started acting _very_ strangely…Not like himself. It went on for two _years_ beforehand. And then he didn't come back home, and he hasn't been found elsewhere, either…"

She fell silent at the pained look that came onto his face, but then Joey looked between them, "Yug's been gone for a long time. But right now, that is _not_ the more prominent situation."

He straightened and put his hands to his waist, "So I repeat my earlier question: Why are you _back_ , man? We know what happened before layin' your spirit to rest, and that was supposed to be that. So, what's goin' on, Pharaoh—?" Then he jumped and rubbed the back of his head, "Wait a sec—I mean—"

" _Atem_ ," Tristan corrected, giving a small smile of apology, "And we said we'd get used to that…"

The Pharaoh—Atem—gave a small smile and shrugged again, "I'm used to both. It doesn't really bother me."

Sarah looked to him in interest, "So… _you're_ the spirit our parents traveled with before we were born–? H-How do you look so young, then?"

"That falls under the explanation I need to give…" Atem addressed first, "Currently, I'm 'borrowing' Noah's physical body. Therefore, I'd look about the same age he is, though I'm actually a great deal older."

"And how old is that?"

He shrugged, "Several thousand years, but I've lost count for an actual number."

Each girl looked to him in shock, but then Joey chuckled a little, "Starting to become an old man, huh?"

Atem smirked just a bit, but then Jessie frowned at him, _"Hold it!_ What did you mean you're 'borrowing' Noah's body? Where is he? And _why_ are you _here?"_

At this, Atem leaned back on the wall, looking downward as he 'hmmed' for a moment, "That'll take a bit to explain…"

"We got time," Joey replied without missing a beat.

For a moment, it was quiet, but then Atem sighed softly, "Noah carries a strange energy within his soul. Something strong, and very powerful, but it isn't like he _carries_ it, it's like it's a part of his being."

This caused a ripple of silence until Tristan arched a brow, "That's…a pretty big place to start, man."

"I know…but it's the root of the present situation. Not long after he was born, Noah somehow managed to summon my spirit from the afterlife. I can't recall _why_ , either, but it seemed to be drawing on that power within him."

He looked off distantly, "Just...to converse with me. To have someone to talk to. No one else could see me, but he could."

"That still doesn't explain how you're here _now,_ though."

Atem moved a hand to the Puzzle again, "At some point, I was sent back to the afterlife again. Like…he had sent me away. I don't know the reason for _that_ , either. But—just now, when his life was endangered, he somehow summoned me again. And this time, it was much stronger than before, and it awakened that power from within him again, drawing on it."

Téa frowned, "You don't have any idea what that power is? Where it came from?"

Atem gave a shake of his head. "No. It doesn't feel like anything we've faced before. Especially since part of this power seems disconnected from him—like it's merely housing itself in him."

"But then is he okay?" Téa then rushed to question, "I-If there's some kind of power in him, then—"

"Noah is all right, Téa," Atem quickly reassured, taking her hand, "Unconscious, at the moment, but he's safe."

Téa gave a sigh of relief.

Jessie then looked down at his chest, pointing at the Millennium Puzzle that hung there, "And… _that's_ the same Puzzle? For real?"

He gave a nod, putting a hand to the Item again, "Yes. Before, it held my spirit. Now it just holds the power that my soul generates naturally. And it'll make it easier for Noah to handle my energy, along with this other enery within him."

Then he glanced between Joey and Tèa, "Did Noah mention anything else about what happened? Anything he noticed?"

"Not really."

Atem gave a small nod, then putting both hands to the Puzzle and straightening while looking between each face, "Make sure he _rests._ No doubt this did a number on him, and he'll need to recuperate after I give him back control…From what I can feel, he needs a lot of rest in the first place."

The glow returned and engulfed him, and everyone backed away as it did so; the white silhouette changed and shifted, and when it disappeared, Noah stood before them again, eyes closed and expression relaxed.

Except, he then fell forward, and Joey caught him before he hit the ground. He laid Noah down, and there wasn't a single flinch from Noah as he was moved.

Then a bright glow sprouted from his chest once more, and the Millennium Puzzle rose from it, the chain once again sprouting from the top and shooting around his neck so that it laid perfectly still on his chest as the glow died down.

Joey's brows rose, and he flatly replied, "Well, _this_ should be _fun_."

* * *

After quite a bit of time had passed, Noah finally opened his eyes; except he didn't find himself in his living room. He didn't even find himself in any place that he knew, and somehow he was already standing up.

It looked to be a bleak desert of some kind, the skies black with thundering clouds and loud winds. The sand was black as well, and fairly hot as if sunlight was shining directly on it. Every time Noah took a step, he winced from the small bit of pain it sent into the soles of his feet.

He took a look around, seeing he was alone, and then shouted out into the emptiness, " _Hello?_ Anyone there–?"

There was no response, and he gave a sigh before the winds suddenly grew stronger, whipping around him to create an abrupt sandstorm.

He shielded his face, his loose white tank not very helpful in keeping the sand from stinging against his arms, _"Oh,_ _ **great**_ – _!"_

Noah gave a few coughs, but then felt the ground quake beneath him, and squinted into the distance to try and see what the source was. The only answer was the rumbling ground grew still, and what sounded like a low hiss came from the clouds.

"Wh-Who's there?— _Show yourself!"_

A pair of red eyes opened up within the clouds, large and glowing; Noah flinched back _._ The clouds began to swirl around at the center of the sky, and the red eyes—seemingly detached from anything—came down closer to him.

" _ **Well, well…"**_ It replied darkly in midst of a chuckle, _**"Look what was dragged in with the dust…I would never have expected a pharaoh to be so friendly with the darkness…"**_

Noah's eyes widened, _"Pharaoh–?_ Y-You got the wrong guy!"

Another chuckle was the reply, _**"Who said it was to you…? You cannot fool an old 'friend' this way…"**_

Noah glared at it, "I am _not_ your friend!"

But then the red eyes became covered by more dust, and Noah took a step forward, "Hey, wait a minute! Who are you?— _What_ are you!?"

A detached chuckle answered him while the sandstorm grew fierce and he coughed as the sand came at him from all directions.

" _ **For you, I am one to be feared…All will become clear, in time…"**_

And all became black as the sand covered Noah from head-to-toe, disrupting his vision and making him fall flat on his face.

* * *

Noah shot up in his bed with a gasp, eyes wide open before he took in quick breaths.

This time, he was in his bedroom, dressed the same as in his nightmare, but he had his wrists bandaged where they'd been burned.

He took a look around the room, and when he saw nothing unusual, he gave a heavy sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair as his hair dropped forward.

"Thank the Lord…" He said softly to himself, though his head snapped up when there was a light knock to the door, a light gasp along with the action.

Tèa came in shortly after, smiling weakly, "Easy does it, it's just me…"

He relaxed upon seeing her, and a very small smile grew on his face, too, "Mom…!"

She smiled a bit more and set a tray down by his bed. Then she kissed his forehead before embracing him; Noah gladly returned the hug, shoulders relaxing. It wasn't something he'd admit aloud that easily, but he was a touch-oriented person. Hugs were his comfort zone, one of the few ways he showed he really cared about someone (especially his mother).

Then he slowly let go, looking to her with knit brows, "M-Mom—th-the house—"

"I know," She replied, having him lay back down.

"Bu-But those guys from before—"

"Yes, I know. The police arrested them already."

"B-But what happened after I passed out?"

She looked at him in surprise, pausing in midst of putting a cold pack to his forehead, "Passed out—?"

"Yeah—a-after you'd told me about the Puzzle and all, my chest started hurting and my head, and I got really dizzy and blacked out, and I—I-I—"

But the look on her face made him trail to a stop, and his brows knit, "D-Didn't I pass out?"

She hesitated before smiling weakly, "Something like that, I suppose…"

He took a deep breath, "S-So, then…what happened after I passed out?"

Téa looked back at him with worry, but sighed, and then spent the next half hour going through what Atem had explained to all of them, in as best detail as she could. At first, it didn't seem like he believed her. After she specified some of the strange occurrences Noah felt, though, and explained the origin of the Puzzle now around his neck, that disbelief slowly grew to distress.

When she was finished, he shook his head and looked away, a furious glare coming over his face as he sat up in bed, "No. _No_ —I told myself I wouldn't have _anything_ more to do with Dad. I'm not having anything to do with this, either—he can save the world if he wants, but _not_ me."

"Noah, no one said _anything_ about saving the world. And this isn't something you can control," Téa replied with a frown, "The Puzzle that hangs around your neck proves that. This is your _destiny_."

" _Then the universe can just give me a_ _ **new**_ _destiny!"_ Noah nearly shouted, removing the Puzzle from his neck, and made motion to throw it across the room.

She gasped when he did, jumping in the process to stop him if necessary. However, he stopped mid-throw, some kind of force holding onto his wrist so that he _didn't_ throw the Puzzle. He didn't seem to fight it too much, instead gritting his teeth. Téa relaxed when he stopped abruptly, figuring Atem had stepped in.

Then she looked at Noah with a frown once more, "Noah…I know you have a lot of anger towards your father. But Atem, firstly, is _not_ your father, and he doesn't deserve that anger. Secondly, he's a _part_ of you, now. You can't just _demand_ things be different, not in this case. This isn't something you can run from."

Noah looked at her for a long moment, it having been a while since he'd seen her this serious about something. Gradually, he relaxed, the force moving off his wrist and he set the Puzzle in his lap.

After a minute, he sighed, and then looked back to his mother again, "So...h-how long've I been out, then?"

She gave a small shake of her head, "Just a couple of hours. Joey, Tristan, and the girls all went home just a little bit ago, once it was sure you were okay. You slept just fine for a while, but it looked like you were starting to have a nightmare."

Noah gave a small nod, looking off in thought, "Yeah…I-I was in this desert…the skies were cloudy and thundering, and the sand around me was all hot, and black…and then this—this _thing_ came down from the skies and kept calling me its 'friend.' It had these large red eyes that just kept _staring_ at me, and—"

"Did it do anything to you–?" Téa asked abruptly, shoulders tense and her eyes wide.

He arched a brow and shrugged, "No…? I-I mean it was just a dream. It couldn't've hurt me, anyway."

She looked tense still, but smiled weakly, "Yes…right…"

Then Téa stood, smiling a bit more, "I think that's enough talking about things for a bit. Just…try to get a bit more sleep, okay? You've been through a lot."

Noah sighed gently and gave a nod, looking to a wall, "Yes, ma'am…"

She sighed lightly herself and went out, giving him one more glance before gently closing the door. Noah sighed himself as he laid back down on the bed, moving the Puzzle now on his desk by the bed, and then laid back and looked up at the ceiling.

To him, this was all discomforting, and unwanted; he was an avid lover of Duel Monsters—though he didn't play it anymore—but things like evil forces, shadow games, spirits, _magic_ —

' _It's all impossible.'_ He told himself fiercely, _'Duel Monsters is_ _ **just**_ _a card game. Two people can't occupy one body. Magic isn't_ _ **real**_ _, it's just some illusion meant to keep a child's attention. This is all just_ _ **crazy**_ _!'_

" _It looks that way, doesn't it?"_

Noah gasped in surprise and bolted up in bed, not even hearing someone else come into the room. Well…someone _was_ in the room, just not physically.

Atem leaned against the opposite wall, watching Noah in interest, though a light smirk laid on his face from hearing what Noah had thought. He seemed nearly translucent, but he was wearing exactly what Noah was. Noah could feel some kind of weight in the back of his mind, though it wasn't anything painful.

He stared wide-eyed and silently for a while. It still looked like Atem was someone he had known at some point, especially with the royal garb now gone.

But then he spoke quietly without looking away, "Please tell me I'm dreaming or hallucinating and I just need to smack myself to get my sense back."

" _I would, but I'd be lying."_

Noah ran his hands through his hair, looking away and sighing, "Yeah, I thought so…"

Then he looked back to Atem, still shaken, "S-So… _you're_ the pharaoh?"

"' _Was,' but yes."_

"And y-you're…'existing'…i-inside _me–?"_

" _As awkward as it sounds, yes, for the time being. You're still 'you,' though. I mainly occupy the Puzzle."_

A quick breath of relief left Noah, but then he took a deeper breath and looked back, "And you…y-you knew my Dad…?"

" _Very well, and I still do. I just haven't seen him in quite some time."_

Noah looked away again in thought for a long moment, before looking back in hesitant curiosity, his brows furrowing, "What…was he like when _you_ knew him? S-Since you…sh–shared a body with him, and all…"

Atem relaxed a bit at this, coming a little closer, _"When I knew him, he was a very kind individual. Much stronger than he ever saw himself as. He always fought for what was right…for what was important. He never thought of himself before others, and saw the good in people first."_

The description made Noah look away with a light glare, which made Atem straighten and look to him in with knit brows.

" _Noah, how exactly did_ _ **you**_ _know Yugi? Téa only mentioned that he'd 'changed' a few years before he disappeared."_

Noah was quiet for a moment before sighing and his glare lightened.

"I don't even know…" He replied quietly, looking off still, "When I was a kid—h-he was pretty much the same as you said…was actually really cool to me when I was little…I was bullied at school a lot, but he'd always encourage me and make me feel better after I got home. Somehow he could just _tell_ when I'd had a bad day."

He brought his knees up and folded his arms on them, "Then, when I turned seven…he just started _changing_. H-Hewould…be away from home a lot…hardly spoke to me when I got home anymore…would tell me he was too busy. Mom started to get suspicious, I think. I remember they had a big argument about it…First time I really saw them yell at each other and mean it."

Noah shook his head once, "I started to think he didn't care anymore…At one point, he looked really sick, but he wouldn't do anything about it…He kinda-sorta stopped ignoring me, but… then we'd just sit, totally silent and not saying a word…I hated it, but I was just happy he was _noticing_ me, somewhat…then…the day before I turned nine, I got really mad at him and shouted at him, a-and…then he disappeared the next day…"

Noah seemed very stoic about the whole thing; Atem, however, had his arms by his sides at this point, eyes wide with shock for a while before he let out a silent sigh.

" _I'm…sorry…"_ He finally said at one point, looking to Noah with knit brows. He was quiet for a moment more before continuing, " _It isn't fair that we all knew him to be a good friend, and you didn't have a chance to see that for too long…"_

Noah was quiet in reply to this, but shrugged nonchalantly.

A light blanket of awkward silence fell between them briefly before Atem took in a breath and looked to Noah again, _"It would be good if you slept again, you know…"_

Noah hesitated, but nodded, and his shoulders relaxed as he moved to lay down.

" _And don't worry too much about nightmares right now."_ Atem added gently, " _In many ways, dreams are meant to fool the mind for better or worse. It's risky to trust in them."_

"But what if they _feel_ real?"

Atem straightened, arching a brow.

Noah shrugged a little, "I-I don't know—but the nightmare I had definitely didn't _feel_ like a dream. I could—almost _taste_ the sand. My chest felt tight, like a weight was on it…"

Atem's eyes narrowed, but Noah then shook it off, "Nevermind. It was probably just lucid dreaming or something. I-I get those a lot, actually."

He turned to his side, though Atem still looked to him with knit brows. It was quiet after, as Noah let his eyes close and he drifted back into sleep.

* * *

After a decent time of just deep, empty sleep, Noah could feel the heat on the bottoms of his feet again.

He opened his eyes, soon closing them again; the earlier sandstorm was already raging, the black sand still burning and even darker than before. Once more, he was on his feet, and he could feel a sudden sense of dread.

Noah tried to look around, but a low, rumbling chuckle made him look forward.

' _That_ _ **thing**_ _again…'_

Except this time, the red eyes loomed from up above, the clouds swirling in a dizzying, circling manner around a much larger shape.

" _ **So, THIS is the nature of your mind…"**_ It replied finally.

Noah straightened, "N-Nature of my–?"

" _ **Idiot. This landscape represents your inner being. Such barren, dark areas…Quite impressive to me. Though so underdeveloped and full of potential…"**_

"What are you even _talking_ about–?" Noah questioned heatedly, squinting through the sand.

" _ **It's easy enough to tell…Your soul has become so barren, it's nearly dead entirely. Not even the trees here are living. Hot, burning sands…a deep anger seeded in you. And the thundering clouds swirling in your confusion and doubt about yourself and others around you…"**_

Noah shrunk back at that, looking around at the area in realization; it made his heart plunge, though the sandstorm began to die down just a little.

" _ **And the winds of fear calm with a wave of despair…"**_ A chuckle came from the creature, _**"Winds are meant to push back on something. And the sand blown with it means it is because you HIDE something."**_

Noah swerved at this, a sudden rush of courage filling him up just enough, "I have _nothing_ to hide, least of all from _you!"_

A deep chuckle followed after that and Noah had begun to step back again; with the sand no longer disrupting his vision, Noah was finally able to look at the creature directly.

It was large, and black, but had claws for its hands and feet, its top half some demonic creature while its lower half had a whole snake fused into it. Large black wings sprouted from the back, with sharper teeth splitting into a permanent smirk. The two pairs of red eyes, from the head and from the snake, looked down on Noah with a bright glow.

"Wh-What the hell _are_ you–!?" Noah got out, winds blowing from the bit of fear he felt, looking up at the thing with wide eyes.

One pair of red eyes narrowed, _**"I am your greatest ally…I am what will lead you to power and immortality, if you do as I say…"**_

Noah cringed, backing up a bit more, "I-I don't believe you–!"

He made a mad dash in the opposite direction, but soon something black swooped down and brought him up from the ground into the air.

" _ **You dare run from me?"**_ The thing asked him in anger, keeping him trapped in his hand, making a cage with his claws, _**"Someone of YOUR blood, dares to run from the almighty Zorc Necrophades?"**_

The name made Noah's eyes widen, and his heart dropped into his stomach. He'd never heard the name before, or perhaps it had been many years, but it filled him with dread.

Then Zorc chuckled lowly, eyeing Noah, _**"We'll see exactly who you are, in time…I need to stall the Pharaoh while I get the last pieces of my groundwork laid out…"**_

Though trembling and having absolutely no more courage to muster up at this point, Noah still managed to get out, "And h-how do you p-plan to _do_ that–?"

A chuckle answered him first, but then the red eyes widened, _**"By keeping your heart within the darkness, to blot out any light you may still have out of sight! By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be nothing but the HUSK of a mortal being–!"**_

It all sounded like nonsense, but Noah's heart pounded harshly in his chest as he watched Zorc's claws close in around him.

" _ **And then my REAL plan can finally take place…!"**_

* * *

The building was away from the main suburbs of the city; it was on the smaller side, at least for it being a lab of some kind, a second story for a few offices. The rooms were dark, and it hadn't been touched in quite a while.

Except, one person now lay in the back room with a flash of brilliant white light.

The same back room where there had been a disappearance ten years earlier, and had been so overwhelmingly heavy in darkness that no one dared enter it. Police had searched every inch, but there wasn't any sign of what had happened. So, the person being there was really very strange.

Then their hand twitched, and they tried to open their eyes. Everything so far was a blur, trying to rush back into their mind all at the same time. But one thing was clear: someone needed them. Someone very dear to them whom they had begun to be ungrateful for right before the 'disappearance.'

They started to get up, heart feeling heavy though their mind finally started clearing after years of being clouded and jumbled. Walking felt like the most difficult thing in the world, and they stumbled against the door frame and anything else they could lean against.

All they knew now, though, was that they needed to get to them. That person who needed them, who had _been_ needing them, who he desperately needed to apologize to and see again after so long. They had to see that smile, at the very least one more time.


	5. Part 5

Noah's eyes were wide as he looked up at the beast; he tried to think quickly for some kind of opening, some kind of glimmer of hope for escape—though at the moment, there seemed to be none from within the creature's claws.

But then he jerked his right hand away from the surface of this thing's palm; it felt like thorns had abruptly jabbed up into his skin. Looking down at it, he noticed the veins in his hand were quickly becoming more visible with black blood beginning to flow through him.

He gave a couple terse exhales, shaking all over; whatever was happening, it felt like hot metal was beginning to work its way through his veins.

" _ **Sit back and relax. You're not going anywhere for a LONG time…you have no way to stop my flow of darkness from entering your heart…"**_

Noah's vision was beginning to fade. His limbs were starting to fall numb, and he eventually ended up falling to the side, which let more of the dark energy flow into him through whatever bare skin touched the surface.

He gasped in pain, looking outward blindly as he felt this 'darkness' burning into his body.

' _Please…I-I can't…'_ His thoughts were getting jumbled and his mind was clouding. It was getting difficult to breathe, _'Someone help,_ _ **please**_ _…!'_

There was a flash of white that seemed a fair amount brighter than usual, and an unearthly screech from 'Zorc' was heard, but then Noah found himself unable to keep awake anymore, and everything fell to black.

* * *

It was the afternoon of the following day, the weather an odd mix of hot and overcast. By the time school had ended, Jessie and Sarah were carrying their jackets alongside their bags, Sarah fanning herself with her hand.

"What is _with_ this weather…?" She mumbled, looking over at her cousin, "I mean _really_ , wasn't it _fine_ just yesterday?"

However, after a second of no response, she straightened and paused in fanning herself, tapping Jessie's shoulder, "Jessie–?"

Jessie jumped and looked over to her, "Hm? Oh—Y-Yeah, the weather. First time I've had to take off my jacket for just walking home…"

"You're thinking about him again."

They stopped walking and Jessie jumped again, "What–?"

"About Noah," Sarah clarified, eyebrows rising, "You've been all spacey—more than usual, anyway—ever since we left yesterday. And you were pretty insistent on carrying his classwork…"

"Yeah? It's the second day of school—I know _I'd_ hate to come back and be behind on everything already," Jessie frowned at the sidewalk, tightening her hold on the folders in her arms, "Besides, after everything that happened yesterday…I'm worried that he didn't show up at school today."

Sarah gave a small sigh and they continued walking, "We don't even _know_ him that well…"

"You're wrong," Jessie answered confidently, raising her head, "We _do_ know him. We just _met_ yesterday, but…it already feels like the three of us have some kind of connection with each other. Can't you feel that?"

Then they came to the house, and Sarah knocked on the door.

Téa answered it, and at first she was surprised, but then she relaxed and smiled softly, "Oh…hello. I-I didn't know you'd be coming over."

"We just wanted to bring Noah today's classwork," Jessie replied first [and a bit quickly], "A-And see if he was doing okay–?"

At that, Téa looked down, a sudden grimness entering her eyes as she frowned.

The two both straightened at this, and Sarah's brows knit, " _Is_ he okay, Mrs. Mutou–?"

There was a small bit of hesitation, but then Téa motioned for them to come in, quietly. After they were inside, Téa expressed more of her distress.

"He hasn't woken up anymore since yesterday…" She said first, speaking in a low voice, like she was afraid of being overheard.

"Like at _all_ –? Does he have a fever or anything?"

"Not really…at one point he did, but now he's just lying there without moving at all…"

She tensed a little, looking down at the floor, "He told me about a nightmare he'd had… _he_ didn't think much of it, but it sounded like something…unusual…"

Jessie and Sarah both became a bit discomforted, but then Sarah looked back to Téa, "Have you been up to see him since then?"

"I went up this morning, but not after that."

"And he looked okay?"

"He _looked_ fine, he just wasn't moving."

Sarah then motioned to the stairs, "Would you mind if we went up to see him?"

Téa hesitated again, but then nodded, "Sure…let me know if he's awake."

The two nodded, and then left their bags and shoes by the door while they went up to see him.

"Why are _we_ seeing him–?" Jessie asked Sarah in a whisper as they went up, "She said he hadn't been awake at all."

"He hasn't been _up,"_ Sarah corrected, keeping her voice low as well, "He might just be immobile, but awake, mentally. Anything could've happened."

Jessie gave a shrug of agreement, but then they went to the bedroom door and opened it a crack.

"Noah?" Jessie gently called first, "Your mom said you were up here. Everything okay?"

When there wasn't a response, they opened the door just a little more, looking into the room.

There didn't seem to be anything out-of-place in the bedroom itself—however a look at the bed made both of them jump back with weak gasps.

And soon Jessie was back down the hall, at the top of the stairs.

"Téa–!" She called.

Téa jumped at the shout and came over to the bottom of the stairs, looking up at Jessie with a halfhearted glare, "Don't _shout_ , not if he's asleep—"

"Trust me, not even the _train_ would wake him up right now–!" Jessie answered quickly, though her voice carried a small tremble.

Téa tensed up, rushing up the stairs, "What do you mean–?"

"Just come look!"

She came into the room, following Jessie, and looked over at the bed as well. The sight earned a small gasp of shock from her, and a jolt as well.

Noah did indeed still lay unconscious in bed, arms over the covers, body limp and unmoving. Except under his skin, his veins were extremely visible—a discomforting black—over his entire right arm, and up the right side of his neck and just barely into the right half of his face. They seemed to pulsate every other minute with a sort of dark energy.

"What in the _world…!?"_ Téa just barely got out, before looking to the two girls.

Except right then, the Puzzle—which sat on the desk corner nearby Noah's head—began to glow a bright white, and said light soon engulfed Noah's form.

When it died down, Atem lay where Noah had been, seemingly unconscious as well, until his eyes snapped open with a small gasp. He didn't carry the same black veins that Noah had, or it didn't _look_ like he did.

" _Atem–!"_ Téa sat down on the bed as he sat up rather stiffly, his movements very slow, "What's the matter, what's happened to Noah–? What's going on–?"

"Easy, Mrs. Mutou…" Sarah cautioned, gently placing a hand to Téa's shoulder.

After a second of breathing, Atem blinked a few times, a light glare soon growing on his face, "Dammit…"

"What–? What's wrong?"

He looked up between them, trying to stand up quickly, while also taking hold of the Puzzle and placing it around his neck, "I don't have time to explain. I need Joey or Tristan or even Kaiba, but I can't—"

Except, he stumbled as he tried to walk, his right knee caving before he caught himself on the doorframe with a groan. He panted a little afterwards, face scrunching in pain for a brief moment before his brows knit.

Téa came up to him and helped to support him, looking to him with worry, "Atem, _please_ —slow down and explain what's going on, so we can help."

He didn't answer her, instead clenching his jaw and looking to the palm of his right hand. Faintly, but still visible, were his veins, also tainted black, right in the cup of his palm.

"It's affecting me, too…?" He mumbled, trying to touch a hand to the right side of his face and wincing when he felt a small bit of burning. When his hand had gotten close enough to his face, his veins were visible as Noah's had been, but when it was pulled away, they faded.

" _What's_ affecting you?" Jessie asked, as Téa helped him down the stairs and into the living room.

"And what was wrong with Noah?" Sarah added as they followed down.

Once the four were out in the living room and sitting down, Atem let out a breath of relief from his limbs relaxing, and then looked down at the ground.

"I should've seen it earlier when he told me…" He said first, the light glare returning, "There _was_ something bothering him—more specifically his subconscious—and it continued after he went back to sleep."

"You mean his nightmare?" Téa questioned, frowning, "What about it was 'bothering' him, then–?"

Atem looked up at her, eyes abruptly very intent, " _ **Zorc**_ …I don't understand it at all, but the two have a connection. I have no idea how."

Téa's face paled and her eyes widened before she turned in her seat to face Atem a bit more, "But—But _why?_ What's Noah got to do with _Him_? And where is he?—Atem, _where_ is Noah and what happened to him–?"

She was growing more and more panicked, shaking a little, and Jessie and Sarah—though confused about the situation—were still worried overall and sat down by her, watching him as well.

Atem hesitated to answer her questions, though, looking away and downward again.

However, Jessie pressed again, a bit quieter while her brows knit, "Atem, what happened to Noah?"

He gently closed his eyes for a moment, before looking between the three, and taking a deep breath, "Noah's…He's g—"

But he stopped mid-word when he looked behind Téa to the door, eyes widening; he stood again, though stayed in place, staring in shock.

Each girl turned in the direction he was staring, and soon each was standing again as well.

In the doorway, leaning against the frame—and looking rather exhausted and beaten-down—was _Yugi Mutou,_ clad in what looked like work attire, complete with collared shirt and slacks, though they were about ten years out-of-style. The dazed expression on his face grew confused, his brows knitting as he looked around the room. Actually, he looked quite a bit disoriented, a blank look in his eyes. He looked a bit ill, and almost too thin, while his breathing was shallow.

But once all were looking to him, the confusion became a bit more prominent on his face.

"Where's Noah…?" He asked softly (nearly inaudibly) looking between each face, "Where's my son…?"

Téa, conflicted whether to cry or smile or be upset, ran up to him immediately, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly as she gave a small sob, soon crying onto his shoulder. He was surprised at first—nearly falling over—but soon returned the embrace just as tightly, shaking, like he hadn't really been hugged in quite a while.

But then he looked up to Jessie and Sarah (who were each happily surprised) and his eyes widened when they landed on Atem.

" _Atem–?"_ Téa let go just enough for Yugi to straighten, and he look to Atem in surprise, "H-How are you—but—wh-when—y-you were—"

"It's okay, Yugi, one thing at a time…" Téa replied to try and calm him [though she herself was still shaking a little, and her voice was trembling from crying] and she helped to bring him just a bit closer to the three.

Atem, however, grew more tense, and his brows knit. From what he'd heard so far, he was definitely relieved that Yugi was safe; at the same time though, it made what he needed to tell them much harder.

However, Yugi then looked back to Atem again, holding out a hand to him. Atem managed a weak smile for the moment, taking his partner's hand fondly. He could see the small shine of light in Yugi's eyes, though he noticed with the slightest of jolts that the life in them was a bit dimmed.

Except, then he looked down, slowly letting go of the other's hand, and took in another deep breath. His smile quickly fell.

"Zorc…has _poisoned_ Noah," He stated bluntly, though quietly, and looked back up between all of them, though his eyes lingered on the parents, "At the present moment, Noah's…gone…—to an extent. He's trapped within his own mind, somewhere—I'm not sure how deep—and while most of it seems to be something Zorc has developed, it was something seeded in Noah from some time ago. It's _very_ deeply rooted in him."

It was silent after this; Jessie and Sarah paled, and Téa looked just about ready to pass out herself.

Yet Yugi looked to Atem intently, coming just a bit closer and reaching a hand up to the other's neck. He didn't even _touch_ the skin—but just barely moving his hand near the surface made the veins visible in that area, and Atem winced away, cringing afterwards.

Yugi then brought his hand away, looking back to him sternly, "So what do we do, then?"

Atem straightened, "'We'?"

"Yes ' _we_ '—he is _my son_. I would do anything for him."

Atem looked down and away for a moment before looking back up, tone abruptly flat, "Strange how ' _your son_ ' doesn't believe that, Yugi."

For now, he didn't respond to the look of slight confusion on Yugi's face, and instead took in another deep breath, "I don't know how long it'll take, but I _can_ try to breach into the part of Noah's heart that Zorc has been poisoning. If I can already feel it, he doesn't have long; I'd need to find him as soon as possible."

"I'm going with you," Yugi replied quickly, right after Atem had finished speaking, and he continued before Atem could speak again, "I _refuse_ to lose him after everything. There's too much I need to tell him, that I _owe_ to him—I _have_ to go after him."

"Yugi, you look like you're about to _collapse,"_ Atem answered sternly, and looked to Yugi with a light glare, "No… _I_ need to do this. _You_ need to rest, and Téa can monitor the _physical_ condition of everything."

"What about _us?"_

Atem looked back to Jessie and Sarah, Jessie looked to him with a light glare of her own.

"Noah's our friend, too," She replied with a nod, straightening a little, "So, what can _we_ do to help?"

Sarah also nodded, and Atem looked off-put for a moment, until he _did_ think of something and looked back to them sternly, "Those two boys. They were arrested yesterday, right?"

"Right."

"If you're able, see if you can talk to one of them about whoever paid them. I don't believe in coincidences—whoever it was, they must have something to do with Zorc, and something to do with Noah."

Each girl nodded, and they were up and out before he could say another word. He looked after them in slight surprise, not expecting them to go that quickly, however then looked back to Téa and Yugi.

Yugi looked to Atem with knit brows, "But you still can't just go right _now_. You don't even know for sure what might be going _on."_

"Yugi, the more time I spend waiting, the more that poison is seeping into Noah. I can't keep it at bay for long."

"Well, at the very least, you're gonna need more help."


	6. Part 6

The car was parked in front of the KaibaCorp building, hesitation lingering before anyone actually got out. Joey was first, getting out and slamming the driver-side door before sighing and looking to Yugi.

"Alright, Yug': I respect ya, I trust ya, and I know ya probably have a better idea of what you're doing than I do when I walk outta the house ev'ry mornin'. But do we _have_ to go to _Rich Boy_ for help?"

Yugi couldn't help a smile, and he cleared his throat before looking to Joey with a smaller smile, "Joey, it's really the only choice we have."

Joey grimaced, "That's even worse…"

Tristan scowled at him, "You got a _better_ idea…?"

Joey grumbled to himself, but then they continued forward towards the building, Atem following after them.

Tristan and Joey had been equally overjoyed to see Yugi having returned and safe [though were also concerned for his apparent health], but they were surprised to see Atem with him instead of Noah. They were even _more_ surprised [Joey reluctant] when they asked for them to accompany them to KaibaCorp.

"So…does _Noah_ know you're back yet, Yugi?" Tristan asked quietly as they went through the front room before the lobby.

Yugi tensed, and Atem's attention snapped over to him, however Yugi then took in a small breath, "No, he doesn't yet…I came home _after_ this whole thing started…"

Once they were inside, the person that caught Yugi's attention was at the front counter, talking to one of the secretaries behind it. The young man wore his long, black hair in a messy ponytail, and a navy turtleneck lay under and yellow- and white-striped vest.

Tristan's eyebrows rose, "Hey, isn't that—"

" _Mokuba!"_ Yugi answered by calling to the young man.

The other turned, dark brown eyes soon landing on Yugi and brightening once he saw the man, "Yugi!"

He came over and took Yugi's hand in a small shake, and looked to him with a smile, "It's been a while! Last I heard, you disappeared into thin air."

And then he looked to Joey and Tristan as well, "It's great to see you guys!"

However, when he hit Atem, he jumped and looked at him in surprise, "Though, I'll be frank, I'm pretty surprised to see _you."_

Atem offered a weak smirk and a shrug, "Most have been."

However, Mokuba then looked between the four, "So…I-I haven't really tried talking to Seto about this, yet. I hope you're prepared to ask him?"

Yugi shrugged, "I'm not expecting it to be easy, Mokuba, but I at least expect him to _listen."_

Mokuba shrugged in agreement, and they headed over to the elevator; the ride up was quiet, and a little tense, but upon reaching the top floor, everyone straightened and headed down the hall.

Once they reached the top office, Mokuba gave a knock to the door in case his brother was in a meeting, "Seto? Are you busy?"

"I'm assuming I won't be," Came the flat reply from inside.

Yugi gave a small shake of his head, "Some things _never_ change…"

Mokuba opened the doors to the office. Seto Kaiba still looked pretty much the same, clad in his white suit with blue tie, though now donned a pair of thin-framed glasses as he sat at his computer, typing away.

Once the five had walked a bit further inside, he finally spoke again.

"This better be important, Mo—" He cut himself off when he finally looked up, seeing exactly who had walked in. The mild shock on his face would've been funny any other time.

Once a few seconds of silence had passed, Mokuba rubbed the back of his head and looked to Seto in apology, "Yeah, about that call I was talking about earlier–?"

Seto still looked between the other four in shock, however then folded his hands and sighed, propping his head up on his knuckles before his tone was flat again, "Please tell me this isn't another 'the-world-is-at-stake' ploy."

Yugi's eyebrows rose, and he spoke in an equally dry tone, "Not at the moment; I promise to call you _directly_ when it is."

Seto heaved another sigh and stood, looking to him with his usual scowl as he removed his glasses, "Fine…Then what's so important that I have to pause my many daily tasks of running a worldwide organization…?"

Yugi took in a deep breath, before looking to Seto calmly, though his eyes expressed more desperation, "It's…my son. Noah's in life-threatening danger."

Seto's eyebrows rose for a brief moment, "Ironic that a son of _yours_ is off the radar; I'll need a bit more information to go off of."

"Noah's been poisoned by Zorc's dark energy," Atem interjected, stepping forward and looking to Seto sternly, "We don't know how or why the two are connected, but Noah's life is slipping the more time passes on."

Seto didn't entirely look 'moved,' however Mokuba looked to Atem in shock, "But—isn't Zorc that guy you stopped in ancient Egypt? How is _he_ back?"

"We don't know that either, yet."

"Do you know _anything_ about this?" Seto asked in growing irritation.

Atem opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated before sighing and looking down, "No."

There was a bit more quiet, until Seto stepped out from behind his desk and headed for the door, saying "You can tell me what you _do_ know, while we walk. Pick up the pace."

Each was surprised, though the five soon followed after the CEO out the door, back towards the elevator, all while Atem filled in more of the details.

Seto then glanced back at the group during the elevator ride back down, "Did you _have_ to bring the _underdog_ along…?"

Joey glared at him after a groan of annoyance, "Can you just drop that already?—It was annoying when we were kids and it's _still_ annoying _now!"_

"Prove it wrong someday, Wheeler, and I won't call you that anymore."

"Executive Underdog," Tristan reminded quietly, earning a glare from Joey.

They eventually came to the main computer room, which seemed significantly larger than decades earlier, and there were already about twenty-to-thirty people typing away for the database.

Seto went forward to the main control deck, "I want information on any recent criminal activity or arrests in the past two days," He looked to a specific section, "Bring up anything you can find on Egypt as well."

"Egypt–?" Yugi questioned, looking to the man.

"If _you're_ involved, Yugi, there will be _some_ connection to Egypt."

Yugi gave a small shrug of agreement, while Mokuba got onto a computer himself and brought up a few different articles.

"Okay…Doesn't seem to be anything too huge—got a few street fights, a few thefts…and there's an arrest of two young males for attempted murder and property damage."

"Bring that one up," Atem replied, coming up behind Mokuba's chair, "What does it say about it?"

Mokuba shrugged, "Not much. Just the charges and sentences, as well as who else was involved…Hey, wait—" He turned to Atem after reading the names, jumping a little from one of them, "Why'd they try to kill Noah–?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out ourselves. They claimed it was just because Noah stopped them from harming Tristan's daughter—but they had abnormal abilities and they mentioned they were _paid_ to kill him."

Seto looked over to his brother, "Anything else?"

Mokuba shrugged, "Not really. Just the usual."

"Well, what are some of the thefts that've taken place?" Tristan asked, coming over to Mokuba's chair as well.

Mokuba clicked through a few articles, his eyes narrowing after a minute, "That's weird…From the felon description—it sounds like they're all from the same person. And they were all in the past few hours or so."

"What do they look like?"

He shrugged as he skimmed through the report, "Blond, about five-foot-ten, fair-skinned…thin build, but strong-shouldered…"

"What eye color?" Atem pressed quickly, abruptly tense.

Mokuba scanned through a bit more, and then straightened, "It says they had cat's eyes, with a gold iris."

Atem's shoulders fell, but then he looked off, "That's…but it sounds just like…"

"Just like who?"

He looked up with slightly-fearful eyes, more looking over to Yugi, "It…sounds like this person _looks_ like Noah—but that's impossible."

A small snicker came from Seto, before he smirked a little, "After what I've heard, it doesn't sound that far off from possible."

Joey jumped and glared, Tristan having to restrain him from lunging at him, _"Say that again, Rich Boy!—I dare ya!"_

While Yugi tried to reassure Joey that it didn't matter, Atem looked out the computer-window screen, up at the very front, in thought.

' _That_ _ **is**_ _impossible, though…'_ His brows knit, _'That sounds_ _ **exactly**_ _like Noah. But he's unconscious, and I'm in control of his physical body. And these thefts have taken place over the past few hours. This doesn't make any sense…'_

But then he abruptly experienced a strange sensation, like his blood had gone cold for just a split second, and he focused back out the nearby window. Very quickly, it looked like a black-cloaked figure was approaching them—more specifically the window, and it also appeared there was no intention of a stop.

" _Get down!"_ He shouted to the others once the figure was close enough, and they braced themselves just before the figure crashed in through the window.

A few of the people working on the computers leapt up and moved as far away from the window as they could, and the figure stood straight and tall [as if they _hadn't_ just come barreling through a window of at least four-inch-thick glass]. Their face was shadowed over, but a pair of golden eyes glowed abnormally within the shadows of the cloak's hood.

" _ **Go about your business…"**_ It replied coyly, waving a hand nonchalantly, _**"I'm just here to deliver a message…"**_

Mokuba stood back by Seto, who looked at the man furiously, "Who do you think you are? I don't let just anyone come crashing into my building!"

The figure's shoulders shook with a laugh, _**"Oh, please. You've never been a threat to ME, Seto Kaiba; don't try to make yourself seem as such."**_

Atem then stepped forward, looking to the figure with a glare, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The cloaked man threw his arms out to the sides, as if greeting an old friend, _**"Pharaoh! I was hoping you'd be here, too…After all, you've taken something that belongs to me."**_

"I don't have _anything_ of yours."

Joey, Tristan, and Yugi moved a bit closer towards him as well, however the man in black held up a hand to stop them.

" _ **Ah-Ah…don't try anything too hasty now, gentlemen,"**_ His hand went back to his side, but he looked towards Yugi, _**"With how much time has passed, it'd be quite a shame for you to come this far only to have your son wither away…"**_

" _Don't—"_ Yugi came forward just a bit, eyes wide and voice abruptly shaking, _"Please_ —don't do anything to him. He hasn't done anything to deserve it."

Again, the figure's shoulders shook with a laugh, _**"Never thought I'd hear the sound of begging from YOU of all people…Though I admit, it does sound good."**_

At that, Atem came right up to the figure, hand to the collar of the black jacket as he glared.

"If you so much as _touch him_ , I will make you regret it," He growled out.

The man shook his head in disappointment, _**"Temper, temper…And here I thought a couple decades in the afterlife would calm that attitude down. Seems I was mistaken."**_

He turned his head up at him, _**"I'd think twice before making a rash decision, Pharaoh…"**_

His hand rose up, and he pushed back the hood of the cloak he wore.

Atem let go with a terse gasp, stumbling back and looking to the figure with wide eyes. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan all looked to him the same, though the first let out a surprised exhale.

The figure matched the description: blond hair, golden eyes, ivory skin. The terrible part was that it did look _exactly_ like Noah.

He smirked broadly, extending his arms again, _**"I mean, you've tried too hard to save him to let him be killed…"**_


	7. Part 7

Atem looked over the copy of Noah; the golden irises were off-putting, and the voice was distorted and didn't match the face.

The figure fixed his cloak a little, shoulders still relaxed.

"' _ **Tis only a copy of the form, unfortunately,"**_ He glared for the first time, and it was aimed at Atem, _**"Considering someone STOLE the REAL thing…"**_

Atem straightened, the glare finally returning to his face, "I haven't stolen _anything_ that 'belongs' to you, _Zorc._ You can't lay claim on a human being."

" _ **It's quaint that you believe he's human. There's not enough soul left in him for that,"**_ Zorc answered, looking to Atem in a bored manner, _**"You're trying so hard to prevent my darkness from seeping in when he's poisoned enough already. There hasn't been a desire of life in that husk for years. You're protecting a walking CORPSE."**_

"He is _alive,"_ Atem replied sternly [especially when he saw the look of anguish forming on Yugi's face out of the corner of his eye], "And the will to live _is_ still present, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Noah is not _dead_ , and he's perfectly human; he would've gotten rid of his own life long ago if he wasn't."

Zorc chuckled, before looking back up at Atem, _**"How do you know he hasn't TRIED…? I've caught glimpses of things you have no idea about. He was poisoned by darkness a great deal even BEFORE I forced my own on his heart. Surely YOU saw it in his eyes, when you first met him…?"**_

Atem jumped subtly, but looked down and away, mainly avoiding Yugi's gaze, and didn't answer.

Zorc smirked again and leaned back against the wall, smirk growing ever wider, _**"It's such an empty space, really…Seems to me, the boy WAS prepared for death for quite some time. Negative emotions tend to hollow out the soul, kill it slowly…so much anger towards the world…"**_ He looked over at Yugi, _**"Towards his own father…"**_

Yugi straightened, shoulders starting to droop while his gaze moved down to the floor, brows knitting with shame.

Zorc chuckled lightly, _**"Oh, so you're already aware of that, then? My darkness is only making it worse for you. I wonder what the boy's face would look like, seeing his father return only AFTER he was gone, how betrayed he would feel…?"**_

He arched a brow at Yugi, _**"What was it he told you before…?"**_

His voice changed for only a moment to overlay his own distorted one, glaring at Yugi, _"You don't even_ _ **care**_ _! You_ _ **never**_ _cared!"_

Yugi winced, hugging an arm around his middle as he kept his wide-eyed gaze on the floor, though he shook all over.

Joey and Tristan each made motion to lunge at Zorc, but Atem got there first, grabbing hold of the Zorc's collar yet again. Atem trembled himself, but instead glared at Zorc, silent but not making any other motion.

Zorc looked to him with a broad smirk, still relaxed against the wall.

" _ **Easy, Pharaoh…"**_ He coaxed coyly, _**"Remember, I hold his life just above the brink of death. Are you going to let that temper get away from you again…?"**_

Atem's grip tightened briefly, jaw clenching, until he hissed out _"You're nothing but a_ _ **monster**_ _…"_

He roughly let go, shoving Zorc back, however then the demon quickly moved back to the window, looking to Atem with the same smirk as before.

" _ **Relax a little; you're beating me to the fun part. I obviously have no present capability to force control."**_

He grinned at Atem, _**"But remember, Pharaoh: if the boy dies, so do you. After all, HE summoned you."**_

He tapped a finger to his temple, _**"Time is ticking. Keep that in mind."**_

Atem's shoulders tensed, but then Zorc disappeared in a blink, already a mile away out the window.

For a moment, everyone was silent, nothing audible except the whirring and beeping from the twenty or more computers in the room.

Then Atem finally turned around to Yugi, who still looked down at the floor with wide eyes, arm still hugged tight to his middle.

"I'm sorry, Yugi…"

Yugi jumped and looked to Atem when he spoke, relaxing only a little.

Atem looked down with a light glare on his face, "I'm sorry that this is happening to Noah…and that he got involved…"

Yugi was quiet for a minute, however then came closer to him and put a hand to Atem's shoulder.

"You have nothing to apologize for," He replied just as softly, even trying to manage a small smile, "None of this is your fault, Atem. And I'm grateful that you're protecting him _now."_

Atem smiled weakly himself.

However, in a split second, he straightened, and all over the right side of his body, black veins became visible, just for a moment before disappearing again, while the dark energy rippled through the physical form. Atem winced afterwards and nearly collapsed.

"Atem–!" Yugi caught him before he could fall.

Atem gave a small gasp when Yugi touched his right side, and the veins became visible in Atem's neck and hand for just a minute.

Joey and Tristan came over as well, and Yugi looked between them, "We need to get him back to the house—the poison is starting to affect him more–!"

* * *

The four came into the house about half an hour later, Yugi supporting Atem on the left as they came in.

Téa came right over once they were in [after giving a small gasp of surprise] and went over to Atem's right, "What happened–!?"

When she touched his right shoulder, he winced away, groaning in pain, and Yugi looked to her with knit brows, "Don't touch him—not there. The poison's starting to affect him more."

Her eyes widened, and she stood nearby in case Atem fell as Yugi brought him over to lean back against the couch.

"Did you find out anything…?" She asked hesitantly once assured Atem was supported enough.

Joey looked to her as he closed the front door, "Yeah, if you put Zorc parading around as some copy of Noah under 'anything.'"

"What–!"

"He's made some kind of physical copy of Noah's body…" Yugi explained softly, "But the eyes were golden instead of blue—and he's made a few thefts in the past few hours."

"But that's not _possible!_ Noah's unconscious and Atem's still in control."

"He knows that."

Tristan looked between them next, "I think he was just trying to scare us; he didn't do anything except break a window. That and give us a threat. I don't even think he's able _to_ do anything."

Téa's eyes widened again before looking to Atem, "Then…do you know how Noah's doing?"

It took a moment, but Atem gently shook his head at the floor, "Not well. If—If I'm feeling the poison _this_ much, he doesn't have long…I'm not able to fend off much more…"

"Maybe you should go up and lie down…" She offered softly.

He would rather have not, however he said so himself: he was starting to feel the poison a lot more now than earlier. It was starting to make him numb in his right side.

Atem gave a small nod, however before Téa could help him over to and up the stairs, Jessie and Sarah came in through the front door next, looking between the four.

"We talked to one of them!" Sarah said first, looking between all as the two panted lightly [having run all the way back from the police station], "One of those guys who were arrested!"

Then they looked to Atem, noticing how he looked, and straightened, "What happened?"

"The poison's startin' to get worse," Joey explained quickly, looking to the girls, "What'd ya find out?"

"Well, we talked to Jet, and he told us—rather rudely, actually—that they were given the job by a guy in a black coat, and they couldn't see how he looked, but saw he had golden eyes that looked all cat-like."

Tristan straightened, "That's exactly what the eyes looked like on Zorc's copy!"

"Copy?"

"Zorc made some kind of copy of Noah, but it didn't have blue eyes or his own voice."

Yugi looked downward in thought, "He must've taken the form already _before_ he'd poisoned Noah, then…but _how–?"_

Atem was looking off in thought as well, but wasn't entirely listening to the conversation anymore.

How _was_ it possible that Zorc could take form as Noah before he'd been touched by the dark energy? And why did he claim Atem had _stolen_ Noah from him? Nothing made sense—he needed answers.

…And he knew just how to get them.

"I need to rest…" He finally said, loud enough for everyone to hear him in midst of whatever conversation had started.

Yugi jumped when he'd spoken and looked to him in worry, but then Téa gave a nod, "I'll help you to his bedroom, you can rest there…"

Everyone was silent for the moment as the two made their way up the stairs, Téa supporting Atem on his left while he felt his right arm was starting to go numb.

* * *

Once Atem was lying down on the bed, Téa looked to him with knit brows, brushing a hand over the right side of his face; the veins just barely appeared, and he cringed just a little. She brought her hand away, but grew all the more tense.

He gently took her hand into his own [left], looking to her with as much determination as he could muster up at the moment, "Everything will be all right, Téa…I promise."

She managed a weak smile, and then leaned forward to kiss his forehead. He tensed, a bit surprised by the action, and a very light blush bloomed in his cheeks as she drew back.

"Ever since he was little, when Noah was sick, I would give a kiss to his forehead…" She replied quietly, gently squeezing his hand for comfort, "He always jokes that he's 'sick in the head'…so I kiss it to make it better…"

Téa gave a weak, shaken chuckle, though Atem frowned as he looked to her. At the very least, he was glad the relationship between Téa and Noah was still strong enough.

"I'll make sure he's okay," He said firmly, "I'm not going to let him die."

She smiled weakly again, and then squeezed his hand one more time before standing and leaving him to rest.

Or at least _she_ thought he was going to rest.

He waited until he was sure she had gone back down the stairs, and then set the Puzzle properly over his chest, trying to relax as much as he could before tapping into the Item's magic.

The Puzzle gave off a faint glow.


	8. Part 8

After what felt like hours, Atem finally found feeling in his body again, and hesitantly opened his eyes.

The first thing that came into his eyesight was the crash of a lightning bolt.

He jumped back, finding himself falling in a sky filled with storming clouds that carried no rain, just thundered loudly, crashing with bolts of lightning here and there.

Atem fell feet-first, looking about within the clouds in surprise for a minute before his brows knit.

' _If this is just how the_ _ **skies**_ _look, I'm nervous to find out what actually_ _ **is**_ _harming him…'_

He soon broke through the barrier of clouds, bracing himself before he found himself in clear air—or at least there weren't anymore clouds. However, he found the air was dry and it drew out a few coughs from how it suffocated any humidity.

Once his feet hit [somewhat] solid ground, he was actually able to examine the surrounding area. It was a barren desert, with no signs of life, not even in the withered trees that were scattered over the sands. It was vast, and seemingly empty, without any true signs of another soul being present.

For a moment, he looked about with narrowed eyes; however, he soon felt a dry breeze beginning to pick up. It quickly grew all the more powerful, whipping the sands up and around his body.

He shielded his face from the sand, however noticed that a small dirt devil then rose around him; it looked like black ash had come up from underneath the already-dark sand.

It grew more and more powerful, circling him and closing in around him, suffocating him and soon completely encasing him in darkness.

* * *

When Atem awoke again, he was no longer in the desert sands, but in a damp, musty corridor. He felt a bit disoriented from switching from one climate extreme to the other, but found himself trapped in a sort of cell behind bars that seemed to surge with dark energy.

His eyes narrowed, but he stood and went over to them. He just barely touched the metal before jerking his hand back with a wince from an energy spark.

" _ **Well, it's about TIME you woke up."**_

He jumped and looked to his right when he heard a cold, feminine voice in the shadows; the source soon appeared in a puff of smoke, revealing a young woman with pale skin, platinum-blonde hair and icy eyes that held no emotion. A black snake was coiled around her, wrapped as if a feather boa, and she pet the head that was draped lazily across her shoulders.

" _ **Don't mind me. I'm just on guard duty,"**_ She gave an exaggerated yawn, _**"SO boring…You'd think I'd be given a much more important job…"**_

"Who _are_ you?" Atem pressed, shoulders tense, "How did you get here?"

" _ **My name is Olivia,"**_ She replied in a sticky-sweet voice, _**"I'M one of Master Zorc's most trusted creations…I run a fair amount of his 'secret' errands."**_

"Why are you _here?_ Are _you_ what's poisoning Noah?"

She gave an annoying, high-pitched laugh before smirking at him, _**"There's a much GREATER force poisoning him than Master Zorc's darkness, Pharaoh. It surrounds his heart and mind, and is gradually working its way into his soul to corrupt it entirely. I'm just here because I can be—not that your 'Noah' has much choice in THAT…or anything else, really, at the moment."**_

Atem tensed, clenching his jaw before he glared at her, "I demand to know where he is–!"

" _ **You're not Mister High-and-Mighty HERE. You demand NOTHING."**_

She pet her snake while looking up and away, _**"Honestly, how RUDE little boys are nowadays still astounds me…"**_

Her snake hissed into her ear, and she listened to it carefully for a moment.

Then she smirked at him, her voice sticky-sweet again, _**"I've got another errand to run. Be a good boy with your roommate, and I'll be back soon…"**_

She vanished with her snake following behind her in a wisp of black smoke.

Atem's shoulders grew rigid, before his eyes narrowed and he looked off.

' _Wait…roommate–?'_

He turned around to look at the small cell he was in, and noticed another figure curled up in the corner of the cell, turned away from him and facing the wall. It was subtle, but it looked like the figure was trembling.

Atem's eyes widened, and he came over to the figure hesitantly, taking a shoulder and moving them onto their back. When the face fell into view, he gasped and tensed, coming a bit closer.

Noah's face was nearly entirely covered by the black-blooded veins, skin paled and eyes shut as if asleep. But his face looked troubled, and his body was limp.

Atem gently took Noah's left shoulder, gripping it, "Noah…! Noah, _please,_ you have to wake up! _—Noah!"_

Noah gave a small twitch, eyes remaining shut, but a whimper escaped him, _"Please, leave me alone…just…leave me…"_

His voice trailed off, but Atem saw tears spill over from Noah's eyes.

He softened his voice a little, "Noah _,_ please, I know you're hurting, but just open your eyes and look at me _—please,_ you _need_ to wake _up–!"_

Noah twitched again, however after a few moments, his eyes finally split open, and he looked up at Atem. His blue eyes looked empty and void of life.

"A-Atem…?" His brows knit, "I-Is…I-Is it—r-really…?"

"It's really me. I'm here to help you," Atem replied with a firm nod.

Noah's eyes opened a bit more; Atem could see they were rimmed with red, however they still had their bright blue hue, despite the lack of light in them.

For a second, Noah just stared at Atem, eyes gradually widening—before he came at Atem in a hug at his waist. Atem gave a terse gasp, not expecting the sudden embrace, and was stiff for a moment before putting his hands to Noah's shoulders, frowning.

They stayed like that for a moment, and then Atem carefully pulled back, easing Noah into a sitting position against the wall, and looked over him with knit brows, "How are you feeling?"

It took a second, but Noah looked up at Atem after wincing, "I…I-I'm not…sure. I can't m-move that m-much…a-and…my h— _heart_ f-feels heavy…"

Atem frowned a little more, "The poison's worsening…"

"P-Poison…?"

"Zorc's poisoning you with dark energy, Noah—it's why your heart is feeling this way. And we need to get you out of here, before it begins poisoning your soul, too."

Noah's eyes narrowed, "But…I-I don't understand…Wh-What does my _soul_ h-have to do with this…?"

Atem straightened, "Noah—didn't Yugi tell you _anything_ about what he'd gone through at your age–?"

Noah looked off, shuddering, but then looked back up at Atem with dazed eyes, "W-Well…M- _Mom_ did—b-but, I can't…I-I'm having…trouble r-remember things…I-I think…I remember her m-mentioning the Sh-Shadows…I-I w-was af-f-fraid of it—wh-when I was a kid…"

Atem put his hands to Noah's shoulders to keep him steady (and not slump over), "Noah…those stories you heard were _true._ This creature—what's been lurking in your nightmares—really _is_ harming you. And we need to get rid of it _soon_ , or else it'll completely destroy you, inside and out."

Noah didn't respond at first, but then he focused back on Atem, "Wh-Why—d-did you come here f-for me…? Y-You—barely even kn-know me…"

Atem straightened, not quite expecting the question. He looked off in thought for a moment, however then he turned his eyes back to Noah.

"I just…know you _enough_ , I guess…" He started thoughtfully, "I mean, I already knew you parents…and I had an _idea_ of how much pain you've been through…I think our souls are just _connected_ to that point by now, since you've been able to summon me from the afterlife that easily."

Noah stared at him blankly for a moment again, processing his words, but then Atem looked up at him hesitantly, "I could ask the same to you. You don't really know me either, and yet you put your life in my hands when you were about to be killed…"

Noah's eyes abruptly grew focused; it looked like whatever thoughts that had come into his mind were causing the dark energies to minimize just a little.

"'I'm your friend'…" He recounted first, giving a small nod, "That's what you s-said to me, back then…I c-can't p-place it, but…h-hearing you say that—just put me at ease…and I knew I could trust you…"

A blanket of silence fell, until Noah took a deep breath, "Souls being connected…I-I never understood what Mom and Dad meant whenever they said that…now I—th-think I'm beginning to…"

Atem saw the corners of Noah's mouth just barely turn upward.

"You miss him, don't you…?" Atem asked softly, noting the black veins were growing less and less visible, "I know you're upset with Yugi, but…after all these years, you've really just wanted him to come home…"

Noah was quiet for a minute, but Atem saw a few more tears spill over.

"Yeah…" Noah finally answered at one point, "I want him to come home."

But then he blinked a few times, reaching a hand up to his face when he felt the numbness beginning to wear off, "Wh-What's going on–?"

"The pure energy is finally strengthening," Atem replied, a weak smile on his face, letting go of Noah's shoulders, "It's keeping the poison at bay."

Noah finally tried sitting up a bit more from the wall—though he did so stiffly—and after a moment, looked back to Atem, " _Pure_ energy?"

"From your soul. Noah, you put yourself off as this cold person who doesn't care, but that's not who you really _are_. My guess is that you're actually very much like your father: kind, passionate, optimistic…seeing the good in others first."

Noah's shoulders hunched a little, and he looked away.

Atem's smile widened, "Your soul is purest when you're who you're meant to be."

Noah was quiet, however took in a deep, shaken breath after a moment as the dark energy in his veins had shrunk down to his neck. Once it had, he turned his head a little, trying to remove the stiffness from his limbs as much as he could.

After a minute, he looked back up at Atem, a shine visible in his eyes that had been smaller before, "Thank you…"

Atem smiled back fondly, "I just helped you find your way. You did the rest."

Noah offered a small smile again, looking down and away for a brief moment, however then looked back up at Atem with the same smile, "I don't know if you're told this often—but you're a really cool guy, y'know?"

Atem straightened, not expecting the compliment, and looked off, trying to hide the embarrassment [or maybe flattery?], however then noticed a small glow from Noah's chest, right above his heart.

"What–?" He came a bit closer to Noah, gently reaching a hand to the glow, which grew a bit bright and bigger.

Noah looked down, having not noticed it himself, and jumped, back flat against the wall, shoulders tense; when Atem touched it, Noah jumped, and took in a sudden breath from a wave of cold over him, but didn't really feel any pain.

Once Atem had touched the glow, it split away from Noah's chest, and then into three separate lights.

Noah let out a breath of relief, shuddering once the light had separated away from his chest, "Wh-What is–?"

The light dimmed, showing three duel monsters cards. Atem carefully caught all three between his hands, soon letting out an exhale of surprise once he saw what they were.

"What? What are they?" Noah asked, carefully moving closer to see what they were.

Atem hesitated, but set the cards a little lower so he could read the names in golden writing across the tops: Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra.

Noah's eyes widened, "Th-Those are–!"

"The Egyptian god cards…!" Atem replied softly, his grip on the cards tightening just a little, "I can feel the surge of power in them…They're real…!"

Noah's eyes were still wide and he leaned back a bit more, and Atem spoke again shortly after.

"They must be here for a reason—why else would they return…?" He looked to Noah, holding the cards out to them, "They came through that light; I think you should hold onto them."

"No, " Noah immediately pushed them back, "No, I-I can't."

"Why not? Noah that light came _from_ _you_. It's obvious you should—"

"Atem, really, I-I don't think I really deserve to—"

"Noah, please, just _trust_ me? You're plenty worthy to—"

" _I'm not even a Duelist!"_

This caused a ripple of shock and Atem's eyes widened sharply.

Then his brows knit, "Tell me you're _joking."_

Noah looked down and away, "W-Well—I-I'm not a _true_ Duelist, not anymore…I had a disk, and I have a deck. But I haven't dueled since I was fourteen."

Atem went ahead and set the cards in his lap, but looked to Noah intently, "Why not? I would think that with who your father is, you would've been taught to duel before you could even _walk."_

"I was, actually—b-but that's not the reason," Noah looked down, eyes saddening, "I was taught how to duel, and I'm not necessarily _bad_ at it. But when I turned fourteen…these…strange things began happening to me. Things I'd rather not recount _here_. All I know is that whenever I would duel—after Dad had disappeared, anyway—I-I would start _hurting_ people in my duels, like the damage and monsters were _real_. And the last time I dueled, something happened and I passed out. I saw these…visions while I blacked out, and then right afterwards I lost my best friend at the time for who-knows- _what_ -reason."

He took in a deep breath, turning his head away from Atem, "After that, I-I was just too scared to duel. Plus, it was just another thing I associated with Dad. And…I-I've been trying to disconnect anything that would relate me to him for the past five years…I just didn't want anything to do with him anymore…"

Atem's eyes were wide again, but then they soon grew saddened. The fact that Noah tried to do everything he could so he wouldn't be connected to his father was rather painful to hear.

Then he took in a deep breath, looking to Noah calmly, "Noah…I can't say I understand what you're feeling—I've never gone through it myself. But I _do_ understand your actions and why you would do something like that. I can't help with your view of Yugi, that falls to the two of you—but I _can_ help with your fear of dueling."

Noah looked up at him in interest, "How?"

"By having you duel again."

Noah straightened and his eyes widened, "What–!?"

"Not now, and not here. Somewhere safe, when you're calm, and where you can be sure that, no matter what happens, everything will be okay," Atem put a hand to Noah's shoulder, "For now, don't think about it at all. It isn't something to handle right now, especially not with the state you're in."

Noah let out a small breath of relief, but then looked up at Atem, "But… _now_ what do we do? Th-Those bars are electrified with something—"

"Dark energy."

"R-Right—a-and we can't touch them."

Atem hummed in thought, looking back to the bars again. It really didn't look like they could touch the bars hardly at all without being poisoned [or Noah being poisoned _further]._

"Wait…" Noah replied softly, bringing Atem out of his thoughts, " _I_ might be able to. But I don't think you'll like it."

Atem straightened, however then Noah carefully stood, took in another deep breath, and hesitantly closed his eyes. On the outside, it didn't appear anything was happening at first.

But then he winced and began to shudder, and the veins were becoming more prominent. A glare grew on his face—and the veins covered over the rest of his right side too, threatening to carry into the left.

His eyes snapped open, and the whites were abruptly pitch black.

Atem's eyes widened sharply and he panicked, standing and putting his hands to Noah's shoulders, "Noah, _no–!_ Stop—you'll kill yourself!"

However, Noah then shot over, pushing against the bars; dark energy radiated from the bars like electricity around his hands, and he groaned in pain as he pushed on the bars.

Soon though, the force of pushing the bars against the shadow-made stones above and below caused a bar to come loose before it shattered and fell away, giving them at least enough room to squeeze out.

Except, Noah then crumpled to ground, whimpering and shuddering in pain as he looked outward in stun.

" _Noah!"_ Atem pulled him back and away from the bars, laying him on his back and looking to him with a nervous gaze, wasting no time, "Noah, think about Yugi—think about how much you want to see him–! Think about your mother—Jessie, and Sarah, how kind they've been to you–!"

Noah finally closed his eyes, panting heavily as the black blood in his veins began to dissipate [though not quickly] and the black shrunk away. Once it had begun to do so, Atem calmed his voice finally, changing tactic once he saw the black blood wasn't evanescing to his liking.

"All right, don't think—just focus on my voice, don't think about anything. Just breathe. Focus on your own breath, in and out."

This seemed to help a bit more, as Noah's panting gradually slowed and the black blood began to disappear even more.

Once it had shrunk away from his face entirely, he finally tried opening his eyes again, the whites pure and no longer black. It looked like the black blood had gotten itself bunched up between his right arm and shoulder, seeming to pulse a bit, but otherwise didn't seem to be hurting him for the moment.

Noah shuddered, before speaking quietly, "Thank you…"

Atem let out a small breath of relief, and smiled weakly himself, "No problem…" Then he frowned, "Just—don't do something like that again, okay–?"

Noah chuckled airily, and then Atem helped him to sit up.

Noah shuddered again once he was up, "I-I feel cold…"

Atem's eyes narrowed, feeling Noah's pulse for a minute before rubbing Noah's arm to transfer a little warmth, "Don't worry…You'll feel _much_ better once we get out of here."

Noah nodded, and then looked to the bars.

Before he could speak, Atem nodded sternly, "You go through first."

Noah hesitated, but nodded himself and got to his feet, though his knees were shaking a little. He carefully moved through the opening, sucking in a breath, and then getting out without touching the bars. Then he turned to watch Atem get through the same—although Atem's cheek just barely bumped one of the bars and he winced.

Once he was through he put a hand to his cheek from the sting; without saying anything, Noah moved his hand to take a look, soon letting out a breath of relief and nodding.

"Burned—not poisoned," He replied, noting how the small bit of 'black blood' veins were close to the skin's surface and it was already starting to fade a little.

Atem nodded, and then he checked down the corridor before looking to Noah. "We need to get back to your Soul Room. It looks like that's where the poison was stemming from."

"But how do we get back there? I fell unconscious while I was in there and woke up here."

"As did I…But we'll just have to look—and quickly. We don't want this poison spreading any more than it already has."

Noah nodded again, and they slowly started down the hall.

They checked up and down the corridors, the air steadily growing denser, even though they were finding nothing.

"So…A-Atem?" Noah finally questioned softly at one point, "What exactly _is_ Zorc? Was he really that… _thing_ I saw in my Soul Room?"

Atem hesitated, but then glanced at him, "Yes, he was. But I'm not going to tell you anything more than that."

"Why not?"

"Because anything that might make you tense or fearful will only let the poison spread. And we can't risk that right now."

"Well yeah, but the unknown is just as stressful as knowing."

Atem shook his head, "Only if you let your mind twist the unknown into something _worth_ fearing."

Noah's brows knit, " _Hello!_ —He was as tall as a skyscraper. That and butt-ugly. I think that's 'something _worth_ fearing.'"

Atem stopped and looking to Noah with a light glare, "Just because something _looks_ terrible doesn't mean it _is._ In the case of Zorc, yes, I admit, he is very dangerous. But he is weak in many areas where _you_ are strong."

"Like _where?"_

Atem's eyebrows rose, "He used the shadow energy to poison you. You used it to get us out of the cell. That alone speaks volumes."

Noah straightened, and Atem continued walking down the hall; after a second, Noah caught up with him again, continuing on as well.

Although, shortly after this, Noah stopped again, shoulders becoming tense; he felt an abrupt heat and dryness, and when he moved his hands forward again, he felt the mustiness on them. He moved them back, and felt the dry heat.

"Hey, Atem–?"

Atem turned back, looking to Noah in worry for a moment, "What? Is it the poison?"

"No—a-at least, I-I don't think so," Noah moved his hands again, eyes narrowing, "I-I feel something coming from this hallway."

He looked down it, noting a door at the very end. From this far away, it seemed like it was fairly battered and worn.

"Think that's it–?"

Atem looked on for a moment, but then nodded once, "I think so. I'm not feeling anything, but if _you_ are, then we must be close to it."

Noah gave a nod himself, and they each started down the hall with caution.

However, halfway towards the door, Noah could hear a low hissing circling them, and then something leapt out towards Atem.

He grabbed Atem by the shirt and pulled him to the side, "Look out–!"

Whatever it was had whizzed past Atem and landed on the ground, hissing again as it came up out of the layer of shadows over the floor—the head of a snake.

Atem tensed, "Olivia–!"

A cold, high-pitched chuckle came from across the way, and the pitch-black snake slithered its way back to its master, coiling up around her body.

" _ **Such naughty children…"**_ She replied with a smirk, shaking her head in disapproval, _**"If only you had just stayed in your room like good little boys…"**_

Noah straightened a bit as well as he looked at her, but neither said anything as she chuckled and shrugged.

" _ **Well, if you're not going to behave, I'll have to discipline you…"**_

Atem glared at her in return. However, when he took a single step forward, Noah held him back, looking to him with knit brows, "Don't do anything hasty. W-We don't know what she's planning—this could all be a trap."

Atem relaxed just a little, however he soon tensed again and looked to Olivia, "Let us pass, Olivia. You don't belong here and we're going to set things straight."

She arched a brow, _**"I don't know what's funnier: the fact that you're being so demanding, despite your situation—or the fact that you really believe I'll obey."**_

Olivia spread her arms out wide, offering a shrug, _**"You should know that there's only one way I'll be forced leave: if I'm ousted by the strong energy of a duelist."**_

A smirk then grew on her face, eyeing the two of them. _**"I'd abandon that hope if I were you,"**_ She pointed at Noah, _**"With the growing darkness in that imbecilic heart, there's NO way that you can get rid of the poison NOW."**_

Atem grit his teeth as he glared at her, however Noah then took a couple steps forward, making him straighten, "Noah?"

Noah looked to Olivia with a determined glare, even though his knees were just barely shaking, "I _will_ face you, Olivia."

She straightened herself, though soon was smirking, _**"You've got to be JOKING. With dark energy this deeply embedded in you?"**_

Atem looked him with knit brows, "Noah, she's _right_ —it'd be dangerous for you to go against her—"

"I need to do this," Noah said, taking a deep breath, "I-I can do this."

Then he glanced back at Atem, "And we don't really have a choice. It's the only thing we _can_ do."

Atem looked on with knit brows still, but finally nodded, "All right…"

Noah then turned back to Olivia, taking another deep breath and taking a couple steps closer.

"So are we gonna duel, or not?" He asked with a bit stronger of a tone than before, keeping his shoulders back.

She chuckled, _**"Oh, indeed we shall…This will be fun. And I'll even let you pick your cards—I want to enjoy watching you writhe and squirm like the pest you are."**_

Noah's shoulders tensed, but then a sudden infinite wall of cards appeared before him in rows of five.

Noah tensed even more; he could hardly even remember what each card _did_ let alone figure out a strategy to use in a few seconds. He considered turning to Atem for assistance.

' _No…'_ A small voice said, _'This is in your blood. You can do this. It won't be like before. You can do this.'_

He took in another deep breath, and started scanning through for cards he recognized. He touched one that he knew, and it disappeared from the wall once he had.

He slowly and steadily went through the wall, picking cards here and there and trying to recall what his father had taught him as a child about building a deck: keep it balanced, not too many spells or traps or monsters to outweigh the other two, go with your gut, don't just pick strong monsters…

And most importantly, respect each card for its worth, and let the heart of each card guide you.

Once Noah had picked out all the cards for his deck, the wall disappeared and a duel disk manifested from the dense air over his arm.

The same happened for Olivia, though her disk carried noticeable black spikes, and she smirked, _**"Is the little boy SCARED…?"**_

Noah kept gaze with her, and his eyes narrowed into a glare, "You _wish."_

 _ **DUEL**_


	9. Part 9

Noah was tense, but forced his shoulders back as he looked across the field with a glare.

He hadn't dueled since he was fourteen. He was sure he was rusty, and he didn't even remember all the effects of the cards he chose. Everything was working against him in that very moment.

But then, he couldn't afford to be a coward here, when he and Atem's freedom depended on the outcome of this one match. Despite the circumstances, Noah knew all the stories about the 'young man' who triumphed over similar odds. As bitter as the thought was, it was also some kind of encouragement to know that was his own father. If he could do it, then so could Noah.

He took in another deep breath, just as Olivia chuckled at him.

" _ **You have chosen a fitting death sentence for your family history—I'll admit THAT at the very least…"**_

"Death sentence for _you_ or me?" He countered.

(Noah - LP: 4000)

(Olivia - LP: 4000)

 _ **DUEL**_

She gave him a small bow, but her words were laced with venom, _**"You may have the honors…"**_

He glared at her in return, but then drew his card and checked his hand.

((Hand: Moon Envoy(Warrior) Lv 4 [Atk 1100 Def 1000]; Waboku(Trap); Draining Shield(Trap); Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight(Warrior) Lv 7 [Atk 2300 Def 2100]; De-Spell(Spell)))

(Drawn: Kuriboh(Fiend) Lv 1 [Atk 300 Def 200])

Noah scanned over the cards, thinking to himself and taking another deep breath; not as bad of a first hand as he had expected it to be.

' _Okay_ … _I remember Kuriboh, and I know De-Spell_ … _Moon Envoy is a normal type, and Waboku prevents battle damage_ …'

"First, I'll summon the _Moon Envoy_ in defense mode!"

From the ground rose a warrior clad in blue and white, crescent-bladed pike spun about in the air before he knelt in front of Noah, the pike held out in defense towards Olivia.

 **(Moon Envoy: Def 1000)**

"And then I'll place two cards face-down."

 _(Waboku; De-Spell)_

Noah gave a single nod, shoulders relaxing just a smidge, "I'll end my turn with that…"

Atem gave a small nod from behind, checking over the field himself, _'Solid enough, for a first move_ … _at least he isn't wide open.'_

However, Olivia then sneered, grinning as she looked over his field, _**"You'll need to do better than THAT to WIN."**_

She drew her own card.

((Hand: Wall of Illusion(Fiend) Lv 4 [Atk 1000 Def 1850]; De-Spell(Spell); Dark Jeroid(Fiend) Lv 4 [Atk 1200 Def 1500]; Shadowslayer(Fiend) Lv 4 [Atk 1400 Def 200]; Spirit Reaper(Zombie) Lv 3 [Atk 300 Def 200]))

(Drawn: Black Horn of Heaven(Trap/Counter))

She gave a nasty grin, _**"I'll start by summoning the Shadowslayer in Attack mode!"**_

A disfigured, blue-skinned creature rose from the shadows, crawling over the corridor floor on all fours before standing on its hind legs (which looked an awful lot like its arms). It gave a low groan, drawing the sword on its back and pointing it at the Moon Envoy.

 **(Shadowslayer: Atk 1400)**

" _ **And the Shadowslayer comes with a lovely effect: if you only have defense-position monsters on the field, it can attack you directly!"**_

It groaned again and threw its sword, said item phasing right through Moon Envoy and aimed directly for Noah. He froze up, eyes widening.

Atem's eyes widened as well when he saw Noah wasn't moving, _'Noah, your face-down cards!_ _ **Use a face-down**_ _!'_

As if he could hear him, Noah then came back to himself and quickly motioned to the card before him on his field, "I-I activate my face-down, _Waboku–!"_

The card rose up, and then the three cloaked women appeared and acted as a barrier for the sword. It dissolved into the air as soon as it came close to them. Once it had, the three disappeared and the card shattered as Noah put it in the graveyard, though he also sighed with relief.

Olivia gave a small scoff of frustration, raising her head a bit as she smirked again, _**"You blocked ONE attack. That was ONLY the first turn. You've yet to be safe."**_

She took a card from her hand, _**"I'll also set one card face down, and end my turn."**_

 _(Black Horn of Heaven)_

Noah looked over the field, though he could feel a worried gaze on his back, _'Geez…I barely managed to scrape by that one. I've gotta be more careful than that…'_

He drew his next card.

(Drawn: Axe Raider(Warrior) Lv 4 [Atk 1700 Def 1150])

"I'll summon out the Axe Raider in attack mode!"

The muscle man jumped from the card, clad in golden, purple and red armor; the golden axe he carried with him was aimed at the Shadowslayer.

 **(Axe Raider: Atk 1700)**

"And I'll have him attack your Shadowslayer with _Rummaging Axe Attack!"_

The raider gave a yell, and then barreled forward towards the Shadowslayer, bringing the axe down once close enough and slicing right through the creature.

(Olivia - LP: 4000↓3700)

She growled lowly, however said nothing more; at the silence, Noah straightened.

"What? No sarcastic remark?" He questioned in a coy tone, similar to hers, however then he nodded once, "I end my turn."

Her eyes narrowed into a threatening glare.

(Drawn: Plague Wolf(Zombie/Effect) Lv 3 [Atk 1000 Def 1000])

Olivia smirked upon seeing the card, looking back to him, _**"Feel confident after chipping at my Life Points…? Then why don't we wipe that smirk off your face…?"**_

Noah tensed, but then she set the drawn card on her disk, _**"I'll summon out Plague Wolf in attack mode!"**_

The animal rose from the field, snarling and growling as its rotting flesh dripped off and it stared at Noah with one red eye and one blue.

 **(Plague Wolf: Atk 1000)**

Noah cringed, but his eyes narrowed, "But that's such a weak monster–?"

Atem only tensed, watching Olivia carefully; before he could say anything, Olivia confirmed his worry by motioning to her monster.

" _ **Now, I shall activate the effect of Plague Wolf: I can double its attack points until the end phase of the turn!"**_

Noah's eyes widened sharply and he jumped, _"What–!"_

 **(Plague Wolf: Atk 1000↑2000)**

The snarls from the creature grew louder, and it grew a size larger.

" _ **Now attack the Raider, Plague Wolf!"**_

The wolf pounced over and onto Axe Raider, and Noah flinched back as it bit into the raider's waist, nearly snapping him cleanly in half.

(Noah - LP: 4000↓3700)

Noah's shoulders became tense and rigid, while the beast gave a howl and vaporized into the shadows, destroyed from its own effect.

Olivia smirked, _**"Turn end."**_

Noah pressed his lips into a frown while his brows knit, before drawing his card.

(Drawn: Magical Arm Shield(Trap))

' _Oh!—I remember this! Joey used this in a tournament once!'_

Then Noah looked up at his field, _'But I can't use it unless I have a monster on the field…I still have Kuriboh, though, so maybe…?'_

He took in a deep breath, looking back up at the field, "I-I'll—I'll place a card face-down."

 _(Magical Arm Shield)_

Olivia arched a brow in disinterest. Noah hesitated before taking a final card from his hand and setting it on his disk.

"And I'll summon _Kuriboh_ in defense mode!"

The brown ball of fuzz leapt up from its spot in the field, giving a small coo as it hovered in front of Noah, a determined—though admittedly not very threatening—glare on its face, and it hopped back and forth, making punch-like motion with its tiny arms.

Olivia looked at it in surprise for a moment before she snickered, and then soon was laughing loudly.

" _ **You actually SUMMONED that furball?"**_ She asked just as loudly, still snickering afterwards, _**"Well, you certainly shortened this duel by about half the time, I'll give you that."**_

Atem jumped behind Noah, looking at him with an arched brow as well. His shoulders tensed on reflex.

Noah clenched and unclenched his hands into fists before looking to Olivia with a glare, "Don't underestimate the little guys. They can surprise you."

Olivia chuckled again, _**"Are those YOUR words, or someone else's…?"**_

Noah's glare deepened, however she drew her card.

(Drawn: Evilswarm Mandragora(Plant/Effect) Lv 4 [Atk 1550 Def 1450])

A smirk grew on her face again, and she gently fanned herself with her drawn card as she looked to Noah smugly, _**"Well…Since you DO control more monsters than me—if you can CALL that floating fuzz a monster—it DOES give me the ability to Special Summon my Evilswarm Mandragora!"**_

The card was slammed onto the disk; the cactus-like, humanoid plant rose up from the field, giggling darkly as it smirked with sharpened teeth.

 **(Evilswarm Mandragora: Atk 1550)**

" _ **And I'll also summon out my Wall of Illusion in attack mode…!"**_

First, a coiled ball of flesh appeared—however then it opened up, showing the ghastly face inside the wall of flesh-like substance.

 **(Wall of Illusion: Atk 1000)**

Noah tensed; so did Atem. Olivia gave a nasty grin before motioning to her two monsters, _**"Wall of Illusion! Swallow up that ball of fur!"**_

The Wall spread out its sides and moved towards Kuriboh in a dash; the smaller creature cringed—losing the nerve it had—and gave a worried cry as it cowered in its spot.

"I activate my trap card!" Noah replied quickly, motioning to the field, _"Magical Arm Shield!"_

The card flipped up, and the shield appeared before Kuriboh, grabbing Evilswarm Mandragora and yanking it back to shield Kuriboh. The two monsters collided, however because of the difference in attack points, Wall of Illusion shattered to pieces. Kuriboh had hid under its paws (not a very effective shield), though lowered its paws at seeing it was still all right.

(Olivia - LP: 3700↓3150)

"And Wall of Illusion's effect sends Mandragora back to your hand, doesn't it?" Noah replied.

How he managed to remember that effect, he wasn't sure—but Evilswarm Mandragora soon disappeared in a shot of light back to Olivia's hand.

She growled lowly, then glaring at him, _**"Fine! But you STILL have one more monster than me! So I can summon it right back!"**_

The creature appeared on the field again, giving Kuriboh a death glare, but the fuzzball gave a sigh of relief, regardless.

" _ **Turn end…"**_ Olivia growled out.

Noah gave a sigh of relief, and then drew his card. He was beginning to look a bit pale, and his hands shook a little; he could feel the poison trying to work its way back through him.

He rolled his neck over his shoulders to try and ease out the stiffness, before sighing harshly and taking a deep breath.

(Drawn: Multiply (Quick-Play Spell))

Atem watched over Noah from behind. So far, Noah had done well with parrying Olivia's moves—however, Atem could see Noah was suffering from the poison again as well. He started looking around for an out, in case anything happened, or should Noah lose. (He reminded himself, _'Noah can do this.'_ It did not ease him.)

Noah soon looked between the field and the card he drew in realization, remembering his mother telling him about Yugi using this same card against Maximillion Pegasus.

"I'll activate the spell card _Multiply!"_ He slammed the card down, and a white glow spread over Kuriboh.

That white glow then split four ways, and four Kuribohs lined up in front of Noah field, each hopping back and forth across their spots while glaring determinedly.

Olivia rolled her eyes, shaking her head, _**"Oh, look, it's attack of the hairballs. How frightening."**_

Noah's eyes narrowed, moving on forward-momentum abruptly with recalling the effects of the cards in his hand, "Next, I'll set a card facedown on the field."

 _(Draining Shield)_

"And since it's the last card in my hand, I can special summon _Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight_ directly from my hand without tribute!"

He placed the card on his disk, but just when the horseman was starting to appear on the field, Olivia smirked at Noah from across the field.

" _ **Ooh, the little boy's trying to use a bee-bee gun, hm?"**_ She motioned to her own field, _**"Weren't you told you'd shoot your eye out? I activate my face-down, Black Horn of Heaven!"**_

Noah flinched as Swift Gaia was destroyed along with the Evilswarm Mandragora, and he sent the card to the graveyard, but then looked across the field again, "I end my turn…"

' _So much for_ _ **that**_ _…'_

Olivia chuckled as she drew her card, _**"You won't be getting off that easily…"**_

(Drawn: Raimei (Spell))

" _ **How about I chip at your life a bit more, hm? I summon out the Spirit Reaper in Attack mode!"**_

The purple-clad, skull-faced fiend rose from the shadows, scythe in hand and giving a small screech as it aimed it at the four Kuriboh Tokens.

" _ **But first,"**_ Olivia took the card she just drew, _**"How about I activate Raimei?"**_

Noah jumped, however then an abrupt bolt of lightning shot from the abyss in the ceiling and hit him directly. He gave a yell, falling to a knee once the electricity disappeared, however didn't let himself fall completely.

(Noah: LP: 3700↓3400)

Noah trembled, and Atem came over to him, hands going to his shoulders to keep him steady, "Noah, are you all right–?"

Olivia pointed at him from across the way, still smirking, _**"Hands off him, Pharaoh! He's mine! And you know the rules—no outside interference is permitted. Unless you care to let your little friend here LOSE by default…?"**_

Atem clenched his jaw, glaring at her, however Noah then looked back at him as well.

"A-Atem, she's right…" He replied quietly, slowly getting back up to his feet, "I've gotta do this on my own…I-I'll be okay. Really."

Atem looked at him with knit brows, moving his hands off of Noah's shoulders, "All right…But _please,_ Noah, be careful."

Noah smiled weakly and nodded, however then looked back to the field as Olivia yawned in a bored manner.

" _ **As heart-warming as it is to watch you two, it's wasted effort. So I'll just proceed,"**_ She pointed to a Kuriboh Token, _**"Spirit Reaper, attack that furball!"**_

The spirit raised its scythe up, screeching again. The token cringed, while its brothers all moved out of the way in fear.

"Not so fast!" Noah replied hastily, motioning to his own field, "I activate my face-down, _Draining Shield!_ "

The teal-green barrier made the Reaper's scythe bounce off, and the token plopped onto the ground with a sigh of relief.

(Noah: LP: 3400↑3700)

"Looks like your little 'chip' was wasted, too, huh?" Noah replied flatly as he glared at Olivia.

Her hands clenched into fists, and she glared at Noah as well, _**"So what? I'll still have your head, Mutou! Make your move already!"**_

Noah went ahead and drew his card, but felt a bit of pride that he was managing to get under her skin this much.

(Drawn: Detonate (Spell))

' _Well, I can't do much with this…If I'm remembering the effect right…'_

"I'll set a card face down, and end my turn," Noah replied reluctantly.

 _(Detonate)_

Olivia drew her card next, though she still didn't look too pleased with the turn of events on the field.

(Drawn: Chaos Burst (Trap))

" _ **I will also set one card face down on the field and end my turn…"**_

 _(Chaos Burst)_

Atem's shoulders grew tense as he looked over the field, _'This isn't going anywhere…and I have a bad feeling…'_

Noah then drew his card, feeling along the same lines as Atem; he could activate Detonate, but it would leave him wide open. He wasn't too sure he should activate it or not.

(Drawn: Luminous Soldier (Warrior/Effect) Lv 4 (Atk 2100 Def 1400))

' _It's like you_ _ **want**_ _me to activate that…'_

After only a moment more of thought, Noah motioned to his card on the field.

"I'll activate my spell card, _Detonate!_ And thanks to this effect, all your cards on the field are destroyed!"

The four tokens on the field each glared at Olivia, and then they each began to glow before bouncing over to her field and proceeding to explode on contact.

Once the resulting smoke disappeared, Olivia's field was cleared, however the four tokens Noah had for protection were also gone.

His shoulders grew tense, a twitch in his jaw, "I end my turn."

She raised her chin, _**"Perhaps you're not as smart as I was beginning to think you are. Don't know if you've noticed—but you're WIDE OPEN."**_

(Drawn: Magical Ghost (Zombie) Lv 4 [Atk 1300 Def 1400])

Her smirk returned, and she slammed her drawn card onto her duel disk, _**"And I do believe it's worked to my advantage. I'll summon the Magical Ghost in Attack mode!"**_

The green-skinned woman rose up from the shadows, pulling her purple hat out of thin air, and then gave a devilish grin as she set the hat atop her head.

" _ **Go say hello, dear,"**_ Olivia replied while her smirk broadened.

Noah cringed as the ghost gave a loud screech, and then fired a couple shots of electricity at him; he gave a yell when they made contact, and a bit of static cling still surrounded him even after the attack.

(Noah: LP: 3700↓2400)

"Noah!" Atem came over again, however made sure not to intervene just yet.

It took a moment, but Noah stood back up [though it took a bit for him to be completely up].

"I-I'm—okay…" He got out, trembling a little still as he stood. He could feel the poison a lot more now with that attack, to the point where he was fairly dizzy and it was hard to breathe or move.

"No, you're not," Atem argued, looking to him with knit brows, "Noah, call this off—we can find another way back to your Soul Room—"

" _No, we can't—"_ Noah said back in a stern manner, lightly glaring to Atem, "This is the _only_ way—and I'm not gonna quit—I-I'm not giving up without a fight! _I'm not gonna run away anymore!_ "

He turned back to Olivia, and drew his card.

(Drawn: Queen's Knight (Warrior) Lv 4 [Atk 1500 Def 1600])

"I-I summon out _Queen's Knight_ in Attack mode!"

The red-clad, blonde woman rose up from the field with a mighty yell, shield held tight in one hand while her sword was tightly clutched in the other.

"Attack the Magical Ghost with Majestic Sword Swipe!"

Another yell, and the Knight lunged forward and swiped at Magical Ghost, the second creature giving another screech before disappearing from the field.

(Olivia: LP: 3150↓2950)

"I end my turn."

Noah still panted heavily, but for the first time during the whole Duel, he was starting to feel the adrenaline rush. Like he was actually enjoying the duel, despite the circumstances and his condition. He was having _fun_ dueling, and he no longer felt afraid, either.

Olivia hadn't been moved by Noah's words in the slightest, and only a brow arched in his direction as she drew her card.

(Drawn: Monster Reborn (Spell))

A smirk grew on her face again, but then she looked to Noah in feigned approval, _**"Oh, what a MOVING speech that was, Mutou. I really have to give it to you—you certainly take after your parents."**_

This made Noah glare at her—however, Olivia then smirked again and held up the card she drew.

" _ **But, I'm afraid it's STILL not quite good enough,"**_ She flipped the card around, _**"Because now I'll activate Monster Reborn from my hand! And I'll use it to special summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight from YOUR graveyard!"**_

Noah gasped tersely, however then a shadowy arm stretched from Olivia's Monster Reborn card to his graveyard, reaching into it and pulling the Swift Gaia card from it.

The horseman appeared from the shadows below, his usual armor and horse corrupted by the dark energy around them, and then Gaia aimed his blackened lance at Queen's Knight.

" _ **If I'm not mistaken, the phrase is 'off with her head!'"**_ Olivia said with a broad smirk, motioning to the field.

Swift Gaia's horse reared up, neighing furiously, and then he came at the Queen's Knight in a rush, piercing right through her and causing some of the shadows to spurt up in a fountain from the force of the attack.

(Noah: LP: 2400↓1600)

Noah's eyes widened sharply, and he exhaled tersely from the abrupt weakness and pain—as if he'd been pierced through himself—falling to his knees, before then collapsed fully to the ground, unconscious.

" _Noah–!"_ Atem came over to him, kneeling by him, "Noah, get up! _Say something–!"_

Olivia gave a nasty grin, before laughing, _**"Good luck getting him up after THAT attack! He's nowhere NEAR strong enough to withstand the mental blow…"**_

Atem tensed, and then shook Noah's shoulders, jaw clenched in worry, "Noah, answer me! You _have_ to get up! Noah! _Noah–!?"_

* * *

" _Noah!—Noah, where are you–!?"_

 _Yugi was hurrying around the house; his five-year-old had just up and disappeared, and he was frantically searching and checking if he might have left the garage door or front door open. Heck, even the_ _ **bathroom**_ _door being left open would've been a hazard. His son was unusually attracted to trouble, and could be extremely reckless, even for being as young as he was. There_ _ **was**_ _that time he had manage to climb on top of the car roof somehow…_

 _But usually, his son showed up after the first call, either with a small 'Boo!' or a look at his father in concern for being worried about him in the first place._

" _ **Noah**_ _–!?" Yugi called again, growing all the more panicked._

 _Then he came to his and Téa's bedroom; he hadn't even called again before he heard what sounded like a small sniffle to his right, from their closet._

 _Yugi tensed briefly, but then slowly came over and opened up the door._

 _There on the floor, beneath their hanging coats and jackets, sat Noah, tears running down the sides of his face as he clutched a stuffed Kuriboh tight in his arms, looking up at his father with wide eyes as soon as the door had opened._

 _He was completely frozen up, trembling yet not moving otherwise, and Yugi knew why: Noah was terrified of the dark. A couple times, Yugi had had to pull Noah from school for the day when some rather nasty children would shove Noah into a dark closet; the child would be frozen and unresponsive until Yugi or Téa would talk to him and comfort him._

" _Noah…" Yugi sighed in relief, and then knelt down, pushing the door further open, keeping his voice quiet and gentle, "Are you okay, pal…?"_

 _It took a moment, but Noah sniffed again, and blinked a couple times, "I-I-I w-was just' t-tryna f-f-find a g-good hidin' p-place…"_

 _Yugi frowned a little, however then moved to sit next to Noah in the closet; the boy immediately moved to be in his father's lap, burying his face into Yugi's shoulder._

 _Yugi very gently shushed Noah as he hugged him, rubbing the child's back and gently rocking him back and forth, "It's okay, Noah…I'm here…I'm here…"_

 _After a minute or two of comforting the boy, Noah sniffed again, and looked up at his father meekly, "Wh-Why were you yellin', Dad…?"_

" _I couldn't find you anywhere, so I called for you…" Yugi replied, brushing back the boy's bangs from his face, "I was scared I lost you, and that I wouldn't find you…"_

 _Noah turned his head down with shame, "M'sorry…"_

" _It's okay…" Yugi shifted his position a bit to better hold Noah, "But why did you hide in the closet? You know you don't like the dark…"_

 _Noah clutched onto his stuffed Kuriboh a bit tighter, "I know…I tho'ht if I was jus' hidin', it wouldn't be so bad…" He shook his head, "But I still got scared…I keep seeing things when I'm in the dark…it's scary…"_

 _Yugi frowned a little, brushing back Noah's bangs again. This wasn't the first he was hearing about the 'things in the dark.'_

 _However, Yugu then smiled weakly, and repositioned Noah in his arms a little better, "How about I show you a trick to being okay in the dark? Makes you not think about the things in the dark?"_

 _Noah straightened, mouth parting in wonder._

 _Yugi's eyebrows rose, "You know how you have the light in your room when you sleep?"_

" _Yeah—Mama turns it on after tuckin' me in."_

" _Right. At night, you can see that little light before you go to sleep, and it tells you that it won't be dark all the time. We can do the same in here."_

 _Noah tilted his head, "But there's no light in here like that, Dad."_

 _Yugi smiled a bit more, and brought his knees up so that he could close the closet door down._

 _Noah flinched with a small yelp and hid his face when it quickly got dark again._

 _Yugi then spoke again, putting a hand to Noah's hair, "Here…take a look."_

 _Noah was hesitant, however he raised his head; it didn't seem as dark as he remembered it being a little bit ago, and he looked towards the door. It wasn't shut all the way, and through the one-inch-wide opening, light shined through from the bedroom. He didn't even notice the things in the dark around him._

" _No matter what darkness you're in," Yugi replied as his son looked at the small bit of light in awe, "You can always find the light. Even if it seems like there isn't any. Light can be found even in the darkest of places."_

 _Noah looked on for a moment more, but then smiled and nodded in understanding._

* * *

Noah's eyes snapped open with a light gasp.

Atem jumped, but then his brows knit, "Noah?—"

But Noah immediately started to slowly and steadily get back up onto his feet, shaking a little as he used his arms to push himself up; but he soon moved to his feet, steady and balanced for the time being once he was up again.

Atem was a bit surprised Noah recovered that quickly after having fallen unconscious, however he noticed the black blood had shrunken back to be out of sight for the moment as well.

But Olivia noticed, too, and she growled deeply as she glared at him, _**"How are you standing again!? That attack should've sent you spiraling into darkness–!"**_

Noah looked back at her with a glare as well, "Light can be found even in the darkest of places."

She growled again, but he rolled his shoulder nonchalantly, "And I wouldn't want to miss my turn."

(Drawn: Pot of Greed (Spell))

"First, I'll activate _Pot of Greed."_

(Drawn: Kojikocy (Warrior) Lv 4 [Atk 1500 Def 1200]; _Cloaked Stranger (Warrior/Effect) Lv 5 [Atk 2000 Def 2500])_

Noah froze, eyes widening as he looked to the second card. It definitely was one he recognized, but not from his father's deck or any other professional deck he'd seen in action.

' _This…This card…! This is_ _ **my**_ _card…!'_

"I'll summon _Kojikocy_ in defense position!"

The old warrior came up from the floor with a yell, axe held tight in hand as it stood at the ready.

 **(Kojikocy: Def 1200)**

Noah gave a small nod, "I end my turn…"

Olivia gave a scoff, but then drew her own card.

(Drawn: Pot of Greed (Spell))

" _ **Seems like I'll also activate a Pot of Greed."**_

(Drawn: Fairy Meteor Crush (Equip Spell); Card Destruction (Spell))

Olivia looked to her cards in brief, but then gave a single laugh, _**"Does your minimal defense give you some feeling of protection…?"**_

She took one of her cards. _**"I'll fix THAT then! I'll equip Swift Gaia with Fairy Meteor Crush!"**_

A fiery glow emitted from the knight's lance; however Olivia then took her second card and slipped it into a spell/trap card zone.

" _ **Just for good measure, let's also activate Card Destruction!"**_

Noah felt a small surge of excitement as he discarded the only card in his hand; he could remember the effect of Cloaked Stranger perfectly.

But he kept his expression placid, and drew his new card as she drew hers.

However, then she pointed at Kojikocy, _**"Let's just SEE how safe you feel after this! Attack that old man, Knight!"**_

Noah flinched back, this time making sure to brace himself for Swift Gaia's attack on Kojikocy, once again piercing through the monster.

(Noah: LP: 1600↓0500)

With that attack, Noah fell to a knee again, breathing heavily from how much the poison was weakening him in response to the lowered Life Points.

Olivia laughed loudly, looking to him smugly, _**"Game OVER, Mutou! There's no hope left for you!"**_

At that point, Atem tensed and prepared himself to jump in and take over for Noah; but he never got the chance to, for Noah stood back up [though his knees shook].

"'Game over'…" He glared at her, "Is _not_ a phrase my family knows–!"

He showed her his disk, and the small glow that suddenly emitted from the Graveyard.

"I activate the effect of the _Cloaked Stranger_ in my graveyard!" He nearly bellowed across the field, "When it's been sent to the graveyard by a card effect and you destroy another of my monsters, I can special summon Cloaked Stranger onto the field!"

A burst of light leapt from Noah's graveyard to the field, and when it burst apart, a tall man who was covered in head-to-toe in a pitch-black coat with a hood that covered most of his face, and then two thin blades on his back that he unsheathed in a swift movement, giving a determined yell.

 **(Cloaked Stranger: Atk 2000)**

Atem's eyes widened sharply once the monster had appeared on the field, _'I have_ _ **never**_ _seen that card before…! Where did he_ _ **get**_ _that–?'_

Olivia's hands went to her waist, _**"I am not impressed. Perhaps you're just terrible at math, but it STILL has less attack than Gaia."**_

"Funny, you think that's it," Noah said back, a smirk growing on his face, "There's another part to Cloaked Stranger's effect: if I successfully summon him from my graveyard with his effect, then you have to destroy all the cards you have on the field, and he gains attack for every one of 'em— _times one thousand!"_

Olivia's eyes widened, _**"What–!?"**_

Swift Gaia and her face down each shattered and dissolved into the shadows, leaving her wide open.

 **(Cloaked Stranger: Atk 2000↑4000)**

Noah pointed to her across the field, "And now it's _my_ turn! Cloaked Stranger!—Attack her directly with _Burning Black Light!"_

Cloaked Stranger gave another yell, crossing his blades in an X-shape, and then sliced them through the air—but it unleashed an X-shaped wave of black light that was sent across the field, hitting Olivia directly.

As the light made contact, she screamed as it engulfed her.

(Olivia: LP: 2950↓0000)

 _ **WINNER: NOAH**_

* * *

All the cards used in the duel (except Cloaked Stranger):

wiki/Moon_Envoy

wiki/Shadowslayer

wiki/Waboku

wiki/Axe_Raider

wiki/Plague_Wolf

wiki/Kuriboh

wiki/Evilswarm_Mandragora

wiki/Wall_of_Illusion

wiki/Magical_Arm_Shield

wiki/Multiply

wiki/Swift_Gaia_the_Fierce_Knight

wiki/Black_Horn_of_Heaven

wiki/Spirit_Reaper

wiki/Raimei

wiki/Draining_Shield

wiki/Detonate

wiki/Magical_Ghost

wiki/Queen%27s_Knight

wiki/Monster_Reborn

wiki/Pot_of_Greed

wiki/Kojikocy

wiki/Fairy_Meteor_Crush

wiki/Card_Destruction


	10. Part 10

After the smoke cleared away, and Noah saw Olivia had disappeared in the aftermath, he slumped to his knees, breathing out a long sigh of relief. His whole body shook, and he panted in trying to get his heart back to a regular pace.

Atem knelt next to him, putting a hand to Noah's shoulder to steady him, and smiled, "I'm proud of you, Noah. You were _brilliant_."

Noah smiled back, giving a small nod, "Thanks…"

Then he took a deep breath, looking ahead, "But you know, I _really_ wouldn't mind getting out of here, now…?"

"Then let's do so," Atem replied, helping Noah get back up onto his feet.

Noah nearly fell once he was standing from the shake in his legs, so Atem put one of Noah's arms over his shoulders and acted as a support for him.

And then they continued down the corridor; Noah felt the warm energy growing stronger, the closer they got to his door.

In many ways, Noah wouldn't have minded prolonging their arrival to the door [even though he wanted to get there as quickly as possible at the same time]. He still remembered the barren sands and thundering skies. What if it still looked the same—or worse?

"Are you ready to do this…?" Atem asked gently, noticing the growing tension.

Noah looked down, not responding at first.

"No…" He answered softly, shaking his head, "I-I mean…Olivia's _one_ thing, but…Zorc…" A small shudder went up his spine, "Th-That's a whole different game…"

"Maybe, but you won't be facing him alone," Atem replied firmly, straightening.

However, this made Noah stop and look at him with a frown and knit brows, "Why are you like that–? What makes _you_ think this will all turn out okay–?"

Atem's shoulders relaxed as he raised his chin a little, "Because we don't want it to end any other way. And the only thing to hold onto in a time like this is the hope and faith that it will turn out all right."

Noah's eyes narrowed as he looked down and away. His words came out in a mumble, "Storybook words…"

Atem straightened before he frowned, "Your _mother's_ words."

Noah jumped and looked up at that, before frowning sheepishly and looking away.

"Noah, I know you haven't had any reason to for years now," Atem continued quietly, but with a stern gaze, "But right now, you'll just have to settle on blind faith to get us through this. It's the only thing we _have_ right now, and _that_ is keeping the poison at bay."

Noah looked down, about to speak, but a screech-like sound and a rush of warmth caught his attention, making him look back down the hall.

After a moment, his brows furrowed.

"We're close," He said cryptically, "Really close."

Atem nodded, and they slowly continued down, until coming to a shadow-covered door; the only thing not corroded and rotting thanks to the dark energy was the doorknob, a golden french handle that remained unscathed.

Without spending another moment in thought, Noah reached forward and grasped the handle. He could still feel the heat on it, and he hesitated before turning the knob.

He pushed the door open, breath unconsciously hitching in his throat [and in Atem's] as it swung open.

…Well, at the very least nothing seemed _worse_. It was still sandy and barren and dead-looking, however the thundering had quieted down quite a bit overhead.

"It looks awful," Noah mumbled as he scanned over the area.

"It looks scarred," Atem gently corrected, before moving to stand next to him, "And understandably so."

Noah looked to him in slight surprise, however then they continued into the 'room.'

Once far enough inside, the door swung shut again, and this time vanished into a pile of black dust that sunk beneath the sand.

Each tensed as he looked around, however then Noah winced and a hand flew to his chest, over his heart. He felt an abrupt pain, as if he'd received a small shock to his heart. The black blood in his veins was slowly becoming visible again, and his vision had fuzzed briefly.

"H-He's nearby…!" He got out hoarsely, a bit wheezed when he found it difficult to breathe properly.

Atem supported him again when Noah's knees buckled so that he wouldn't fall, but then a large bolt of lightning struck the sand not thirty feet away from them, and then another about fifty feet away.

"A-Atem, I-I-I c-can't—" Noah gasped for breath, moving to his knees and panting out, "I-I c-can't bre— _breathe—!"_

Atem knelt by him, brows furrowing, "How bad is it–? Where is He–?"

" _H-He's—r-really cl–c-close—"_ A small gasp for breath. Noah then looked towards Atem, _"Th-The p-p-poison's g-getting worse—I-I ca-can f-feel—"_ Another gasp.

"Noah, calm down," Atem replied quickly, but tried to keep his own tone calm as well, "You'll be okay. You're able to breathe—just focus on my voice. You'll be okay."

However, Noah shook his head, still panicking and having difficulty taking a breath to calm himself. He gently clutched at his head, as if to stop it from pounding, but a large bolt crashed down again even closer to them. Atem jumped and put an arm around Noah's shoulders, and then looking upward at the sky with a glare.

" _Show yourself, Zorc!"_ He yelled first, not bothering to keep his voice calm now, _"This has gone far enough!"_

Black sand rose up around them, and for a moment Atem thought that it was going to knock them out again; however, the sand only rose higher and higher, until it formed into a sand-made contour of the giant beast.

Atem glared up at Zorc, however the creature only chuckled in a smug manner.

" _ **Made it this far, have you? I knew I chose the perfect bait for you, Pharaoh! You can never resist playing the hero, can you?"**_

"Zorc, this is between you and me!" Atem replied, ignoring the creature's words, "Release Noah of your poison and leave him alone!"

A deep laugh replied to his demand, and then red eyes narrowed as he looked down at him, _**"You FOOL! This has as much to do with him as it does you! I require the young mind still! Having you here is just a bonus!"**_

"Why do you need Noah? What connection does he have to you–?"

" _ **Spoiler alert, Pharaoh—I can't tell you that. But I can assure you, he's FAR past the point of 'saving' by now!"**_

Atem straightened, eyes widening; he finally looked back down at Noah under his arm.

The blond roots were slowly tinting to black, and the entire right side of his body was corrupted by the black veins. The whites of his eyes were pitch black, and the iris in his right eye was an angry red while his gaze was stuck gazing off in blind shock.

" _Noah–!"_ Atem laid him on his back, not even able to hear him breathe, "Noah, _answer me!_ _ **Noah**_ _!"_

When there wasn't a response, Zorc laughed again, and his claw-like hand came down as a cage over them. Atem jumped and braced himself in case there was impact, but soon looked up again when there wasn't.

" _ **Seems like you've FAILED in your attempt to 'rescue' him…"**_

Atem cringed, but then looked back down at Noah, "Noah, _please_ —come back to me—think about your mother, think about getting back to her! Think about being back home! Think about—think of—"

He hesitated, but then a determined glare came over his face, " _Think of Yugi! Think about how he's waiting back home to see you!"_

The winds in the desert abruptly died off.

Noah gasped tersely, trembling a little as this statement connected. Then he very slowly looked back over to Atem, as if wanting to say 'you're lying.'

"Yugi is _home,_ Noah…!" Atem restated carefully, brows knitting, "He's scared for you…! He wants to see you again, and he wants to explain _everything_. I know you're angry with him, but I know you want to see him again, too. So you can't let Zorc take you over!—If nothing else, fight to be able to see Yugi again!"

Just as abruptly as the winds had died, the thundering died down as well, and then Noah managed to move himself into a sitting position (with Atem's assistance).

His blue irises shined a little, holding back any tears for the sake of the situation, but gave a small, hopeful nod.

" _H—He's…really…?"_ It sounded like he was still having difficulty breathing.

Atem gave a nod himself, "Yes…! Yugi is _home_ , Noah, he's waiting at home for you…!"

Noah stared at him for a minute, however then a determined glare grew on his face as well, and he closed his eyes; for a moment, it looked like the black blood in his veins was still moving through him, however then it almost seemed move in reverse, to bunch up at his right shoulder. Noah gave terse groans as it did, writhing just a little with the discomfort of the movement. With a bit of black static radiating around his shoulder, the blood seemed to harden, and the dark energy no longer moved through him.

Noah took in a deep breath, now that he _could,_ but then the hand caging them lifted and formed into a fist.

" _ **No…! How!?"**_

They jumped aside right when His fist plunged into the sand.

Atem looked to Noah once he got up on his feet, "What did you do–?"

"I-I'm not really sure," Noah replied, getting to his feet [though his limbs were still shaky], "B-But I just—was focusing on getting home. And nothing else. I will _not_ be kept here any longer."

Atem smiled and nodded in approval, and they looked back to Zorc; with the winds and thundering gone, he stood before them at sixty feet tall, both pairs of red eyes narrowed into a glare.

" _ **I don't know how you managed to defuse my poison…"**_ He growled out, _**"But I refuse to let you leave here ALIVE if not corrupted entirely! I have come too far to let the two of you get away from me this easily!"**_

Again, he plunged a fist down, and the two rolled in opposite directions to avoid being flattened into the black sand rising from the ground.

Atem looked over at Noah, "Any ideas?"

Noah gave a small nod, and a small smirk sprouted onto his face, "Fight back the way a Mutou knows how."

The duel disk appeared on his arm again, and then another on Atem's arm. Atem exchanged a smirk of his own.

Each then stood, and looked up at Zorc with a glare.

 _ **DUEL**_

Each drew a card, and Noah slammed his down first, "I summon Cloaked Stranger!"

The man rose from the sand, drawing his thin blades once more with a small yell, and aiming them at Zorc.

 **(Cloaked Stranger: Atk 2000)**

Atem then drew his card next, and slipped it into a spell/trap card zone, "And I'll equip Cloaked Stranger with _Sword of Dark Destruction!—_ Strengthening his attack by five hundred!"

 **(Cloaked Stranger: Atk 2000↑2500)**

One of the thin blades that Cloaked Stranger carried gained a bright white glow, and shifted to look like the Sword of Dark Destruction. It then re-aimed the swords, poised to attack.

Noah made motion for the attack, "Attack with _Burning Black Light!"_

Cloaked Stranger gave a yell, and then made a dash towards the creature, dodging Zorc's attacks and making an X-like motion with his swords that sent a black light-infused, X-shaped blast towards the creature's chest. The attack hit a bull's-eye on the monster's chest, and he gave a yell.

However, that yell soon became a loud laugh, and Zorc threw his head back as he did so.

Atem and Noah each grew tense, as did Cloaked Stranger, and then Zorc glared down at them again.

" _ **You've lost your edge since last time, Pharaoh! Did you really believe that such a feeble attack would damage ME?"**_

The monster then sent both fists flying towards Cloaked Stranger; the stranger managed to dodge a couple times, however the third made full contact, destroying him instantly.

 _ **~bump—bump-bump~~**_

Noah gasped in pain, hand flying to his chest as he slumped to his knees. It almost felt like his heart had _stopped_ beating momentarily, and then it left him weakened afterwards.

"Noah–!" Atem knelt by him. So far, it seemed like the effects of the Shadow Game were still in place. They would feel the pain whenever their monsters were attacked or destroyed.

He stood back up, standing before Noah in protection, and drew another card.

"I'll summon _Celtic Guardian!"_

The green-clad elf rose with a yell similar to Cloaked Stranger, and aimed his own thick sword as well.

 **(Celtic Guardian: Atk 1400)**

Noah went ahead and drew a couple cards from his deck [although he stayed on his knees for the time being] and activated them in his spell/trap card zones.

"A-And I'll equip him with _Megamorph_ and _Lightning Blade!"_

Celtic Guardian's blade gave the same white glow, and then it shifted to the lightning blade; it still gave off a white shine, and then it was re-aimed at Zorc.

 **(Celtic Guardian: Atk 1400↑2400↑3200)**

"Attack with _Silver Blade Slash!"_

The elf rushed forward with the lightning blade, and the resulting blow to Zorc's chest caused a small bit of smoke in reaction to the lightning making contact.

But still, Zorc stood just as tall, not a scratch on him.

His red eyes narrowed, _**"Oh, PLEASE…"**_

Again, he slammed his fists down; Celtic Guardian dodged the first one, however the second one made contact and destroyed him, just like Cloaked Stranger.

 _ **~bump—bump-bump~~**_

And Atem received the same blow as Noah, his breath hitching in his throat before falling to a knee with a wince, clutching at his chest with a groan.

"Atem–!" Noah jumped and came over to him, checking over him before looking up at Zorc with a glare, though spoke to Atem.

"This isn't going _anywhere…"_ He replied quietly, "At this rate, we'll _never_ get out of here…"

"Don't—give up…" Atem replied quickly, starting to recover from the damage, and looked over at Noah, "You _have_ to trust me, Noah. This isn't over while our hearts still beat."

"They won't be for long, at this rate."

" _Noah,_ just trust in your deck and in yourself; if nothing else, settle with _blind faith—_ that's all that'll help at this point…"

Noah looked rather doubtful in 'trusting' his deck, but then Zorc glared down at them.

" _ **Well, I'm glad that ONE of you recognizes a lost cause…"**_ He raised his fists, dark energy growing and circling around them, _**"Perhaps I'll end your suffering quickly to show mercy…!"**_

Noah's eyes widened, but then he took a deep breath and drew another card, just as Zorc let his fists fall.

Except a grid-like wall rose up to prevent his attack from hitting them, and a dome rose up around them.

" _ **What–!?"**_

Noah held up the card he drew, glaring at the monster, "It's called _Nightmare's Steelcage,_ bastard. Prevents attacks for the equivalent of two turns."

He then helped Atem back to his feet. Atem gave a small nod once he'd regained balance, "Good work…At least we have time to catch a second wind…"

"For thirty seconds," Noah replied with a light glare, however then his brows knit, "None of our monsters are strong enough, Atem, even _with_ powering them up."

"With that, I will agree…" Atem said reluctantly, giving a small nod before looking to Noah, "But running won't do us any good. And neither will giving in."

Noah arched a brow, "How's that 'blind faith' workin' for you?"

"Are you _always_ this cynical?"

"Are _you_ always this _stubborn?"_

Another loud bang of Zorc pounding against the cage cut their conversation short, and the cage was beginning to disappear with the second hit.

"Running's it–!" Noah concluded, taking Atem by the wrist and started off in a dash as the cage fully disappeared.

They started off in a harsh sprint, although they quickly noticed they weren't getting anywhere in the shadowy sands. Zorc always stayed right behind them.

However, from Noah's deck came a small, golden glow, and he stopped dead in his tracks, feeling something stir in his heart and gut that directed his attention to his deck.

Atem stopped a few steps ahead of him, looking back to Noah, thinking the poison was acting up again, "Noah–?"

However, Zorc then noticed they'd stopped as well, and began to stalk closer.

Atem glanced at him before taking Noah's disk-free arm and trying to pull him, "Come _on,_ we have to—"

"No…"

Noah's tone had gotten quiet and cryptic all of a sudden, and he looked down at his deck, which was still glowing a dim gold, "W-We don't…have to run…"

Atem was momentarily startled with the sudden change of demeanor, however looked between Zorc and Noah and pressed, "Why not–?"

Noah stared at his deck for a moment longer, before he gave a light glare and drew three cards from it.

The top three cards he'd drawn were the three Egyptian god cards: Slifer the Sky Dragon, the Winged Dragon of Ra, and Obelisk the Tormentor.

His eyes widened, but then he looked up at Atem, the same cryptic tone present, "It's time."

Atem straightened, sensing an abrupt, powerful presence, however when Noah turned to face Zorc, a large hand swiped at them, knocking them off their feet with a yell. Neither had seen how close he had gotten.

Atem hadn't been pushed that far, landing on his back just a couple feet away. But there was a sickening crack heard when Noah landed with another yell ten feet away, and he trembled briefly.

" _Noah,_ _ **no**_ _–!"_ Atem started up to rush over, but black sand rose up around his legs to trip him.

Another bit wrapped around his ankles, and again around his torso to bind his arms to his sides. More of it was gradually rising and covering him, bringing him further down into the black sand.

" _Get off me!"_ He growled out, trying to struggle free before he looked over, "Noah–! Noah, are you all right–!?"

Noah didn't respond at first, however soon flipped to his stomach to get up, wincing when pressure was put on his arm that bore the disk.

" _Damn_ —I think—I-I think my arm's broken…!" He hissed out.

Atem's eyes widened, and he tried to get up again, but another bit of the black sand actually pulled him down, against the sand.

Zorc gave a chuckle and conjured more black sand to seep into the desert ground, _**"Let's bury you in the sands of time once more, shall we…?"**_

More of the black sand rose up in tiny waves and fell over Atem; he still tried to struggle free of the dark sand, but his lower half began to sink beneath the ground.

Noah's eyes widened as he looked to him, "Atem…!"

He tried to get up again, however the pain in his arm was numbing to the point that he could hardly even use it.

' _No…! No, he'll be_ _ **killed**_ _…!'_ Noah thought fiercely to himself, glaring and trying to get himself up again on his good arm. When he shut his eyes though, it was like all sound had been muted, except for a single voice.

 _You must trust in us, Master Noah._

Noah's eyes opened—however things still seemed pitch black, as if he still had them closed, _'Wh-What is…? 'Master'?'_

 _You must trust in us. You want to rescue your friend, and your physical being cannot support yourself. You must put your strength in the unseen._

Noah's blinded eyes narrowed. Hadn't Atem been talking about 'blind faith' all this time? He really had nothing else to base himself on—not his own strength, and not in Atem at that moment.

 _All you need is right in your hand. Summon us, and we will aid you._

Noah's clutch on the three cards in his hands grew tighter. He knew what to do now, though he doubted it would be through his own actions.

By this point, the sand had nearly brought Atem all the way in, just his head and shoulders free as the black sand still coiled around him. One wrapped around his neck and burned the side of his face.

Zorc chuckled, eyes narrowing in a glare, _**"Looks like your luck AND hope have run out…"**_

" _Says you, which isn't saying much–!"_

Atem whipped his head around to see Noah standing again and slowly coming closer to him; his disk arm a bit too limp while his free hand was tightly gripping three cards.

"Noah, run!—Get away while you can–!" Atem shouted at him, shoulders sinking into the black sand.

Noah's eyes narrowed in a glare of his own, and he brought the disk up before him; he moved to stand before Atem, and then looked up towards Zorc.

Zorc only laughed again though, black static surrounding his hands, _**"So, you've got the guts to stand again, have you…? I'll fix THAT!"**_

As Zorc readied his attack, Noah spread the three cards onto his duel disk.

He glared up at Zorc, _"I summon Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra!"_

Zorc's eyes widened into a furious glare, _**"What!?—Impossible!"**_

A bright, white light from the sky above them temporarily blinded them; when it died down, Noah could see properly again, and the black sand began sliding off of Atem's form, allowing him to free himself the rest of the way.

Noah used his good arm to help pull Atem to his feet, and then they looked to the skies above.

From a break in the stormy clouds, the three gods were descending to the desert-like landscape, Slifer's wings spread wide, as were Ra's, and Obelisk drew its shoulders back proudly.

Atem glanced at Noah's back; for a moment, it looked like a shape had appeared there under his shirt, though it was gone by this point.

Noah held up his pain-numbed arm to show his disk, and glared at Zorc, "You're finished here, Zorc! Your attempts to 'destroy us' tanked, and you have no power in the presence of the Egyptian gods!"

Zorc tensed, glaring down at Noah, _**"You think that just because you managed to summon the gods that YOU can order me around!? You worthless brat—I still remain here! I have made it MY domain!"**_

Noah's eyes narrowed, "Then humor me."

Each of the Egyptian gods readied their attacks, and Zorc cringed before glaring back down at the two of them.

" _ **This is FAR from over! My poison remains in you, whether you have contained it or not! I will return one day SOON to claim what's rightfully MINE!"**_

The attacks from the gods were fired, and when they made contact with Zorc's being, white light filled the area once again, and everything was grimly quiet.

* * *

When the light finally died down, which took several hours, it didn't feel dry or musty like before, and the hot sand wasn't felt underfoot. Zorc had disappeared for the time being, but so had Slifer, Obelisk, and Ra.

The air felt cool, and clean, and the ground felt an awful lot like grass.

Noah finally tried to open his eyes, and they soon widened as he looked over the new landscape.

Gone were the hot sands and thundering clouds, and they were replaced with an endless field of tall grasses and shrubs, carrying an odd mix of Peonies and Gladiolus.

The barren trees were gone, and fluffy, white clouds still filled a pale blue sky overhead. The grass still looked a bit dry, and no sun was visible. But every once and a while, a cloud would move to reveal a fairly large, breathtakingly-close moon.

Atem looked around in surprise himself, before his gaze fell back to Noah, who was shaking all over, now that it was quiet.

Atem gently put a hand over Noah's stained shoulder, "Are you okay…?"

Noah hesitated before letting out a shuddered breath, "A-Ask me that again in an hour…?"

Atem gave a small nod, but then Noah looked to him as well, "H-How about you…?"

"Shaken, but I'll live…"

Noah took in a deep breath, but then looked back to Atem with a weak smile of his own.

"Th-Thanks for comin' for me…" He replied quietly.

While Atem smiled, Noah looked off with hesitancy before looking back again, "D-Does this make us…y-y'know—friends?"

Atem smiled a bit more, hand gently sliding from Noah's shoulder, "Usually, yes. It does."

"I-It's just kind of a foreign concept for me…"

"It doesn't have to be. You get used to it pretty quickly."

Noah smiled again, before looking over the field of peonies and gladiolus again, "I-I'm _so_ ready to go home…"

Per request, the three cards gave off a golden glow on Noah's disk, and that glow then surrounded the two of them, soon growing to blinding brightness, and all went black.


	11. Part 11

After his surroundings had faded away to black, Noah was left numbed, in both mind and body. Once what felt like a few hours had passed, he felt a bit of pain in his arm and shoulder that brought him back to awareness.

Then he finally attempted to open his eyes, the action taking a bit of effort.

When he finally cracked his eyes open, bright light hit them first, and he winced, shutting them again. Then he blinked them back open, and the white, blinding light sharpened and dimmed after a few more minutes.

Once he could see, he found himself out of the field of long grass and shrubs of peonies and gladiolus, and instead on his bed with the covers over him. He still felt a bit numb, so he laid there for a while longer to recover; it felt like someone was calling to him, however his mind was still lagging a bit. It was a startling yet comforting thing to be back in his bedroom again.

Then he finally tried to sit up; his right arm was currently indisposed, wrapped in a makeshift sling, and he still felt a bit of pain from it. His right shoulder was still stained from the black blood cornered in his veins, but it didn't burn, and he couldn't feel it spreading.

" _Noah?"_

He jumped a little, once he was finally sitting up all the way, finally coming back into awareness. Then he looked to his right, seeing Atem's translucent form leaning against his desk, watching him carefully.

Noah offered a weak smile after a moment, "I-I'm all right…Really."

" _You still look tired,"_ Atem mused quietly.

"F-Feel like it, too…" Noah agreed, moving the covers off and getting into a sitting position with his legs crossed, however then he looked to his arm before looking to Atem, "Did _you_ take care of my arm?"

" _Yes. I thought it'd be a bit more comfortable. You should still go to a doctor to get it properly taken care of, though. It doesn't look like it's broken anymore, but it still hurts, doesn't it?"_

"Just a bit—i-it's all right, though. Feels a lot better to have it stabilized in some form, anyway. Thanks…"

Atem's eyes narrowed; Noah's tone had fallen to monotony, and he looked down with knit brows.

Atem then offered a small smile, _"You don't have to be nervous, Noah. It will feel awkward at first, maybe, but…I think you'll see that he's been wanting to see you as much as you've wanted to see him."_

Noah looked back over at Atem, quiet for a moment before turning to sit on the edge of his bed, "Y-You think so…?"

" _Know so."_

Noah offered a small smile, but then the doorknob turned, and both looked to the door; Atem disappeared from Noah's sight, while Noah kept his eyes on the door when it opened.

In walked Téa, holding a small tray in her hands, a small bowl of water and a towel on it, as well as what looked like medication of some kind. When she looked up and saw Noah sitting on the bed, she froze first, and then the tray slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.

Noah stood, keeping her gaze, "Mom?"

She stared for a moment more herself, before tears welled up in her eyes and she shook all over; stepping over the tray and bowl, she wrapped her arms around him as soon as she reached him, burying her face in his good shoulder.

He used his good arm to return the embrace, shuddering with relief; he was trying to keep himself composed enough not to break down into tears—more for her sake—however he did plant a small kiss to her cheek as she did him.

Then she drew back and smiled a bit, "I missed you so much—I was so worried about you…! I'm so glad you're okay…" Then she straightened, noticing his arm and shoulder, "Y-You _are_ okay, right? What happened to your arm?—A-And your shoulder?"

"I-I'm fine…" Noah replied quickly, voice shaking with relief, "I-I broke my arm, but it doesn't really _feel_ broken, now that I'm awake…"

' _You mean_ _ **Zorc**_ _broke your arm…'_ Noah heard Atem reply bitterly from the back of his mind.

' _Mom doesn't need to know that, though, right…?'_

' _If you say so.'_

Téa then fussed with the sling a little, fastening it more properly, "Does it still hurt?"

"A little, but not as much as if I had _really_ broken it…Atem put my arm in the sling, and right now it just feels sore."

"I'll take you to the doctor at some point, then, to make sure," His mother replied with a nod, before straightening again, "Oh, and Atem?—Is he okay, too?"

"We're both _fine_ , Mom…" Noah replied softly, a smile coming onto his face.

However, Téa straightened with a small jolt, blinking a few times before her eyes became a bit glassy from tears again.

Noah's small smile remained, though shrunk, but his brows knit, "What?"

She gazed at him still, but put a hand gently to his face, "I…haven't seen you smile like that in a long time…"

He smiled a bit more, and then Téa wiped at her eyes, "You must be _starving_. Go ahead and freshen up, and I'll go make something for you—"

"Wait, wait," Noah cut in, looking to her with knit brows while taking her hands in his, "Atem told me that—w-well, h-he said…h-he said that—that Dad was…h-he was…"

Téa relaxed a bit, turning back to Noah fully, and gave a small nod, "Yes…He _is_ home. But he and Joey and Tristan left about an hour ago to meet Seto back at KaibaCorp."

Noah's eyes widened, "Seto as in _Seto Kaiba?_ Guy hasn't even spoken to us in _years_ , why'd they go _there?"_

This made his mother straighten again, and a small frown fell over her face as she looked off, though she hesitated, "Well…they went a few days ago, before Atem went after you. And…they—found out that Zorc had been using your appearance to make small thefts…"

Noah's jaw dropped, but then a light glare came onto his face, "So, just when I finally get back, I can't even go outside the house–?"

Téa frowned a little more, looking down and sighing, "No, I guess not…"

She looked back up at Noah, "I'm sorry…Though it might be for the better. You need to rest, and take time to recover. You've been through a lot."

' _She's right, you know.'_

' _Hush, you.'_

"I just don't like being cooped up," Noah mumbled to Téa, "It's not like I wasn't _just_ a prisoner elsewhere…"

She came closer, patting his cheek and smiling gently, "It won't be for a long time, Noah. We'll get everything cleared up, soon enough; it's why everyone went to see Seto. Now, you take a shower and come down when you're all refreshed, okay?"

She kissed his cheek again, and then his forehead, and then smiled to him one more time before picking up the tray and bowl and heading back out and down to the kitchen.

After she left, Noah looked down, and Atem came into his eyesight again, a look of apology on his face.

Noah then looked at him with an arched brow, "Nothin' to worry about, huh…?"

' _I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Noah…but, really, there wasn't ever a proper time, and it didn't occur to me once you woke up.'_

Noah ended up sighing after a moment, "Just as well, I guess…I _do_ need to rest after all that…"

At that, he went into the bathroom to take a shower, hot first, and then cold; the cold water felt good on his arm and shoulder, and once he was finished, he used a towel to dry his hair. When he noticed his hair in the mirror, he saw it spiked up and out in its natural way. Usually, he would've tried to smooth it down as much as he could. After everything else he'd been through, though, he left it as-is, spiked and messy.

Once he got dressed in a pair of long sweats and a t-shirt, he hung the Puzzle around his neck (comforted by the weight of it), and then headed out and downstairs to the kitchen.

Téa had just replaced the lid on the pot when he came down, and she smiled when she saw him.

Then she noticed his hair, and her brows rose, "Did we not care enough to comb…?"

"Partly that. I think I'm also startin' to like it lookin' this way," Noah replied with a shrug, picking an apple out of a bowl on the countertop and giving it a small toss before taking a bite.

His mother looked at him for a moment, smile fading a little before her brows knit, "Noah? Do you think…maybe part of the reason why you changed so much was from Zorc?"

Noah froze in taking another bite, but looked up at her with an arched brow, "'Changed?'—What're you talking about?"

"Well…" Téa hesitated, but after debating for a moment, she gave a small shake of her head, checking the pot on the stove again, "Nevermind; now's not the time for that."

She smiled again when she looked back to him, "I'm making your favorite."

His brows rose, "Chicken and dumplings?"

When she gave a nod, he smiled a bit more and kissed her cheek again, and then headed out to sit in the living room while taking another bite of the apple.

She watched him go out, but frowned to herself once he left, _'Let's hope this break in depression lasts longer—if not stays permanent…I missed seeing you smile…'_

* * *

In the next hour or so, Jessie and Sarah came by again with Noah's homework, like they had been the past few days.

"I hope Atem hurries things up…" Sarah mumbled as they went up the path to the door, "Mrs. Mutou is looking more and more worried, every day…It isn't good for her…"

"Not to mention Yugi hardly wants to leave him alone," Jessie pointed out, her voice its usual dreamy-sounding tone, "He's been sitting by his bedside the past few days; he only actually _left_ today cuz Dad convinced him to get some sun. He still looks really pale."

Jessie knocked gently on the door, and Téa came to open it within a few seconds.

"Hello, girls," She replied in an upbeat tone, smiling between them, "How was school?"

The two each glanced at each other before looking back at her with concern.

Sarah offered a small shrug, "Well…all right, I guess…?"

Téa looked back into the house, "Noah?—You have visitors!"

The two girls looked between each other again, however when they were about to ask her what had happened, Noah came into eyesight to look towards the door.

"Oh—hi," He replied in slight surprise, though smiled weakly.

Jessie and Sarah each looked on in surprise, but then each grinned and Jessie came up close to him, looking up at him with a grin.

"Welcome back!—Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" She replied, eyes actually focused on his as she spoke, though he stiffened with how close she abruptly was.

Sarah came over as well, pulling Jessie back, but offered a smile just the same, "Me, too. Do you feel okay–?"

He shrugged as Jessie took a step back from him, "I'm all right. My arm kinda hurts, but…I-I'm glad to be back, anyway."

Jessie had just been staring at him mainly, and Sarah elbowed her before she jumped and held out the papers in her arms to him abruptly.

"W-We brought today's work for you–!" She explained quickly, blushing faintly before relaxing, "W-We've _been_ bringing you the work you've been missing. I-I think your mom called in for you at school."

Noah glanced back at his mother, who gave a nod of concurrence, and then he took the papers from Jessie, "Thanks. At least I won't be bored while I'm sitting around at home."

Sarah frowned, "Found out?"

"Shortly after waking up."

Téa closed the front door, looking between all three of them, "No more about that. Everything will be cleared up soon."

She looked to Noah sternly, "Come and eat. You still look half-starved."

He smiled to his mother again, which made the two girls jump; once he had followed Téa, Sarah looked to Jessie in slight surprise.

"I've never seen him really _smile_ like that before…" She said in a whisper, making a small face, "It looks weird."

"Don't be mean," Jessie chastised with a frown, "He's been through a lot."

Right before Noah could sit down, the sound of keys in the doorknob could be heard, as well as muffled talking on the other side of the door.

Noah jumped and swerved to watch the door intently, heartbeat steadily increasing in speed, and he felt it jump into his throat.

' _Atem, I don't think I can do this…!'_

' _It'll be okay, Noah,'_ Atem quietly reassured him.

Before Noah could argue, the door swung open; he sucked in a breath and held it, very quickly coming into eye contact with purple irises, and they stared back in equal shock, while Joey and Tristan came in behind them.

No one said anything, watching between the two carefully.

Yugi and Noah just stared at each other, and it looked like Yugi was holding his breath, too.

Then, after an agonizingly long time, Yugi came just a bit closer, never taking his eyes away from Noah's.

For a moment, It looked like he was going to embrace him; in many ways, Noah wanted him to, even if he was reluctant. However, Yugi instead kept his arms down by his sides.

He then smiled weakly, settling with putting a hand to Noah's good shoulder, gently gripping it, "I'm—I'm so glad you're okay…! Y-You've grown up so much…You look—really good, Noah…"

This made Noah's shoulders relax just a little, and he gave a small nod as reflex, "Y-You, too…I-I'm…glad you're okay…"

Yugi's smile broadened a little, however then Noah's brows knit after he blinked, really _looking_ at his father this time.

"Actually—you look terrible," He corrected, before arching a brow, " _A-Are_ you okay?"

Yugi gave a small shake of his head, "I _feel_ a lot better than I look, trust me. I just need to rest up for a while…"

Noah gave a small nod, then looking down and away, "A-Atem's okay, too…Th-There's a small burn on his cheek, b-but it's only on the surface…I-It's not too bad…"

Yugi gave a nod himself, but his gaze was still intent on Noah, "I'm glad. But I want to know about _you_ , too, and how _you're_ feeling."

Noah looked back up in shock, but it was getting hard to talk, his throat tightening. Before Yugi disappeared, he'd very much acted like he didn't care about anything anymore. It was hard to believe that he really _did_ care about him again, as much as Noah wanted to believe he did.

He didn't reply to Yugi, looking away with a light glare, and took a small step back, pulling his shoulder from Yugi's hold. Yugi jumped, and then frowned.

Before anything more could be said, Téa gently cleared her throat and looked to Yugi, "I think he should eat before talking anymore. It'll get cold."

Yugi hesitated, but nodded once, "Yeah. You're right."

He looked back to Noah before looking down, sticking his hands into his pockets, "Y-You—You should eat…"

Noah gave a nod, moving to sit at the breakfast counter and looked down.

He faintly felt Atem's presence by him.

' _Are you okay?'_ He frowned, having watched the encounter as well.

Noah didn't answer, and Atem could sense him withdrawing just a little. Atem gave a small sigh, looking over at Yugi. For a moment, it seemed like Yugi looked right at Atem, holding eye contact with him. Atem didn't think anything of it, and for the moment he drew back into the Puzzle.

Noah grew very quiet, while Joey and Tristan updated everyone else about what the three of them found out at KaibaCorp. Yugi made comments here and there, but mainly would look back over at Noah.

Noah was silent, staring down at his now-empty bowl. All the information felt a bit overwhelming, especially since he still felt mentally and emotionally exhausted from being trapped by Zorc. Plus, having his father in such close proximity was still so…uncomfortable, after so many years.

At one point, Sarah looked between Yugi and Joey, "But how did you guys beat him _before?_ Shouldn't this just be deja vu?"

"It's not turnin' out that way," Joey replied with a small shake of his head, "We haven't had this for a while, and he's really takin' really _personal_ hits."

"This isn't new for Zorc, though," Tristan added, "It's been personal hits for friends before, just not family."

"It ain't surprisin', either."

Téa frowned at them, "I wish you two wouldn't be so relaxed about it. We still don't know what he's planning or what his purpose for doing this is, but it isn't _us_ he's targeting this time. All we know is that it has to do with Noah."

Joey gave a nod, glancing at the counter, "More like a _lot_ to do with—" However, he cut himself off, looking over at the counter in shock, "Speakin' of which–?"

Everyone looked over now; where Noah had been sitting was an empty seat, and the Puzzle sat on the counter.

Yugi straightened, but then an old memory resurfaced in his mind, and his shoulders relaxed.

Meanwhile, Téa stood and she grew worried, "Wh-Where'd he go?—It isn't safe for him to—"

"Hang on," Yugi gently took her shoulder, and all looked over to him. He gave a small nod, "It's okay…I-I know where he is. He's fine."

Then he took a deep breath, and headed up the stairs.

* * *

Yugi went into his and Téa's bedroom quietly, looking about the room, seeing all the old pictures he'd taken, as well as some newer ones that he didn't take, since he wasn't present for them. He'd been up there several times already, and he had expected the relief to have worn away. But he still found himself almost wanting to cry when he looked between each photograph.

This time, he took off his coat and set it aside [flinching for a moment when he did so], but then slowly went over to the closet, noticing it was open a crack, and he slowly opened the door wider.

Noah's knees were drawn up to his chest, arms hugging them close, except for one hand that was clutching at his hair. He was trembling all over, eyes closed while his breathing was bordering on hyperventilating, and there were streaks left by tears on his cheeks.

He didn't look up at Yugi, and it was unclear whether he knew it was him or not.

" _Please, go away…"_ He asked shakily.

Yugi's eyes narrowed in a small frown, and he took another breath before speaking quietly as he opened the door wider, "I can't do that to you. Not again."

Noah looked up in slight shock, hand moving away from his hair, and only stared for a moment.

Yugi smiled weakly, and then slowly moved to sit next to Noah in the closet. Noah watched him sit down, but then closed the door back down once Yugi was sitting.

His father's brows knit, "I thought you were afraid of the dark…?"

Noah shook his head, but also frowned, "I've grown to like it…when it's _this_ kind, anyway…"

Yugi frowned, heart desperately wanting to reach out to Noah; he even motioned to put an arm around Noah's shoulders, but then hesitated and sighed, bringing it back down by his side.

"I was…totally prepared for you to start shouting at me earlier…" He pointed out quietly.

Noah's eyes were gently closed again, and he had his head laid on his arms, facing away from Yugi, "What good would _that_ have done…?"

"But you wanted to."

Noah's eyes tightened in being closed, but then he opened them and glared at the door.

"I had it all planned out," He said, quietly, "I had everything I wanted to say to you planned out in case I ever _did_ see you again…I wanted to shout and scream at you, and tell you exactly what you did and tell you how much what you did _hurt_. I wanted to tell you how much I hated you, and how much you hurt Mom, and me, and…"

His voice grew even softer, and his glare dissipated, "But…But I couldn't…I-I forgot everything I wanted to say when you walked in…I-I didn't know _what_ to say, and I didn't know what I was supposed to feel…"

Yugi's eyes narrowed again, and he looked off.

When he was assured Noah was finished, he spoke quietly himself, "I wasn't going to say anything at first…I owed you better than an apology, but I didn't know what to say, either. I could've said how it wasn't my fault, but that wouldn't have been fair to you, or your mother…" He ran a hand through his hair, "When I came back after you had been poisoned…I was so scared I'd lose you, that I had so much to tell you and that I owed to you for what happened…and I thought I might not be able to give that to you…"

Yugi looked down again, "Even if you never wanted to see me again, I at least would have wanted to tell you how sorry I was, even if that isn't nearly enough."

Noah didn't respond at first, but then looked back at Yugi, glare gone by this point, and his eyes gave off a shine as if he was waiting for something.

Yugi looked back, keeping eye contact with him, "I _am_ truly sorry. I want to make it up to you in whatever way I can, even if that means you want me to go away. Say the word, and I will walk out, and not come back."

For a minute, there wasn't a reaction; but then fresh tears spilt from Noah's eyes, and he trembled just a little again.

In simultaneous movement, Noah moved closer to Yugi and laid his head on his shoulder, while Yugi wrapped his arms tight around him, laying his head against Noah's.

Noah relaxed in his father's hold, even giving a light sob in how much he'd missed it; Yugi's eyes had a small shine to them, and he gave a small breath of relief as he gently rubbed small circles into Noah's back, like he used to when he was a child. There was some sort of stiffness, but it was a great deal less than the two recalled there having been before.

And for a long time, they just sat like that, quietly.

At some point, they got up from the closet. Yugi grabbed his coat again and pulled it back on, and they slowly headed down the hall and stairs.

"Will you tell me where you _really_ went off to?" Noah asked quietly, almost in a stern way.

Yugi gave a small nod, "Soon. I think everyone deserves to know you're okay, though. You gave your mom a scare."

Noah smiled weakly, and, indeed, once he had come into view, Téa sighed in relief and hugged him.

" _Noah Soloman Mutou,_ you scared me to death," She replied after drawing back, glaring at him.

He smiled wryly, shrugging a little, "Sorry…I-I just…needed to get away for a moment…"

Yugi went over to the countertop and picked up the Puzzle. A brief thought ran through his mind, not his own, but a question from someone else.

' _Are you_ _ **okay**_ _?'_

Yugi looked up abruptly; from the tone, it didn't sound like the question was meant for him, and it definitely sounded like the question had been asked once already.

He smiled weakly, _'He's okay, Atem.'_

There wasn't another response, but then Yugi went over to Noah and placed the Puzzle around his son's neck, and everyone headed over to the living room.

' _He can still hear me…?'_ Noah heard Atem question from the back of his mind.

' _What?'_

There was a moment of hesitation, but then Atem replied, _'N-Nothing…Later…'_

Noah gave the smallest of shrugs, but then went over to everyone else. Once all were sitting down, and Yugi, Joey, and Noah were standing up by the mantel, and it was quiet for a moment before Joey spoke.

"Did ya find out anything at all back there…?" He asked Noah gently, "If ya can't remember, or don't want to, just say so."

Noah gave a small shake of his head to say 'it's fine,' but then looked off with narrowed eyes as he tried to remember, "Zorc…s-said something about me having as much to do with this as Atem, th-that Atem being there was just a 'bonus'…he refused to say anything about the 'why' I'm part of it."

He looked up with a slight grim tone, "But he said he'd be back, to claim what's 'rightfully his.'"

Yugi straightened, "Rightfully his? What do you have that could _possibly_ be 'his'?"

Noah shrugged, "Don't know. Don't know if I _want_ to know. But it's pretty obvious we haven't seen the last of him…"

This made everyone tense, but then Noah looked between Yugi and Joey.

"I want to help stop him," He stated firmly, glancing away, "I-I don't know how we're supposed to do it, and I-I'm not sure I believe in _all_ of this—this _magic_ and _shadows_ stuff, yet…but after everything I saw, I-I don't want him hurting anyone else the way he hurt Atem and me."

Yugi nodded once, moving closer to Noah and holding a hand out to him, "Good. If you're sure about that, then we'll need all the help we can get."

Noah smiled weakly and took his father's hand tightly, giving a small nod.


	12. Part 12

"Were you overwhelmed earlier? Is that why you snuck off?"

Noah looked over at Yugi in mild surprise, steps slowing as the two were walking by themselves in a nearby park.

Actually, Yugi was the one who had asked for he and Noah to have a bit more time just the two of them. Noah agreed, but there was still that part of him that was unsatisfied, that still needed an explanation, and yet another part did not wish to see Yugi at all. There was still a good two feet of distance between them while they walked.

At the moment, though, Noah gave a small shrug, "I…yeah. I guess. I-I've just still got some issues with anxiety…" He replied softly, twiddling his thumbs, "I-If I get too overwhelmed, I start to have a panic attack and I just need to either be by myself, or with Mom, or in some enclosed space…"

Yugi frowned a little, however then his brows rose, "That's nothing to be ashamed of. Though, I can't approve running; it's the sign of a coward, and I know that you're not."

"You have _no_ place to talk to me about running," Noah shot back heatedly.

Yugi jumped, about to respond, but then he stopped and looked down and away.

After a second, Noah took a breath, frowning before sighing and looking back to Yugi, "I-I'm sorry…'Guess I've…still got a lot of issues with my temper, too…"

"That, I can understand a bit more…" Yugi replied softly, before taking a deep breath and looking to Noah, "We can talk more about that later, though. How about you tell me a bit more about _you_ …? What you like now, what interests you—anything, really."

Noah looked to him, and then forced a chuckle, "I-I'm… _so_ not used to talking about myself…?"

"Well, then I'll prompt. Last I can remember, your favorite color was yellow."

"I've taken a better liking to teal."

"You never really liked chocolate, either."

"That hasn't changed," Noah's brows rose, _"And_ we found out I'm allergic to peanuts."

Yugi's brows rose as well, though they soon knit, "Really?"

"Yeah. Found out the hard way, sadly—Mom and I were eating out, and I went into anaphylactic shock."

Noah shrugged when his father's eyes widened, "I-It's not _that_ bad, usually. You'd be _amazed_ how many foods you find with nuts or nut oil in it, though. But I haven't had any major issues since I was eleven."

Yugi gave a small nod, and then they found themselves at the end of the path, at the large opening in the park where there were benches scattered about, and a few pet owners were walking their dogs in the grassy areas.

"How about dueling…?" Yugi asked softly, hesitantly, looking up at Noah again.

Noah stopped walking, hesitating while Yugi looked back at him.

"In the Shadows was my first time in about four years," Noah went ahead and admitted quietly, before looking down, "First, because it was just another thing that reminded me of you. And second, because of a…a-a situation when I was fourteen…"

"Situation–?"

Noah sighed and sat down on a park bench, folding his hands as Yugi sat next to him, "I entered a tournament in my freshmen year…Mom and I were living in the States at that point, and I was already—well…I was already 'changing' a lot, at that point. I think…for the first few years, I-I…still had hope you'd come back…"

Yugi frowned and looked away, and Noah took another breath, "I entered a tournament with one of my closest friends—my _only_ friend at the time, actually. I was doin' pretty good, admittedly, till the last duel of the tournament. I only had to make one more move to win, when I started feeling dizzy suddenly, and I collapsed. I didn't wake up for a few days from what Mom told me, and I would only mumble a few words here and there. In that time, my 'friend' walked out on me for who-knows-why—didn't see him ever again. And I was so scared of the same thing happening that—I-I just didn't duel again…"

He looked up at Yugi, "'Till in the shadows, anyway. I had to duel Olivia so that we could reach my Soul Room. I might've freaked Atem out a couple times—I-I'm really rusty."

"How much _did_ he freak out…?" Yugi asked with a weak smirk.

Noah smirked as well, "I think the best moment was when I actually _summoned_ Kuriboh."

Yugi chuckled, leaning back in the seat before looking to Noah, "How did you beat her, in that case?"

This made Noah's brows knit before looking back at Yugi, "Y'know, I'm still not sure?—I drew a card I hadn't seen since I was…ten? Maybe eleven?"

"Which one?"

"Cloaked Stranger," Noah replied with a flat chuckle, "That one card I made when I was five. I-It was a legit card and everything and I just _happened_ to draw it, and I used its effect to win the duel."

"You never 'just happen' to draw anything in duel monsters," Yugi replied knowingly before arching a brow, "I know you sent that card to Industrial Illusions for a contest, but I never heard about them making it into a card."

"Me neither," Noah replied with a shrug, "And I didn't even choose it to be put into the deck. I had to pick on the spot, and I only chose cards I recognized."

Yugi's brows rose, "Like?"

Noah shrugged, counting off, "Axe Raider, Pot of Greed, Kuriboh, and I'm pretty sure I had the Silent Swordsman cards in there, somewhere, I just never drew them."

Yugi smiled weakly, "I'd like to see you duel again myself, sometime…"

Noah looked back in slight surprise, and then offered a weak smile, "Yeah…m-maybe at some point…"

Yugi looked at him a moment more before his eyes narrowed in thought, "Do you remember what you were doing in that duel before you collapsed? Or maybe what you saw after you _had_ collapsed?"

Noah shrugged, "Beforehand? Not really. I was only ever told I was winning. As for while I was unconscious, also no. I mean, Mom told me I would say stuff sometimes, but they were single words like 'shadow', and 'pharaoh', and 'marked' and things like that. 'Pharaoh' makes sense _now_ , but the rest still doesn't."

Yugi was quiet for a moment before looking back to Noah, "It…might've been a glimpse at what was to come. You said yourself—'pharaoh' makes sense now, so I'm assuming the rest will become clear, with time."

"You know 'assume' makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me,'" Noah halfheartedly quipped before looking at Yugi doubtfully, "C'mon, I'm not _psychic_ or anything. It was just a stupid dream."

"So was Zorc trapping you," Yugi pointed out in a soft, stern tone, arching a brow.

This made Noah frown, and he looked off before looking back with knit brows, a hand moving over his shoulder, "Zorc…w-wouldn't try the same thing _twice_ , right–?"

Yugi sat back and mused aloud in a thoughtful tone, "I don't think so. For one thing, he needed to poison you first, and I think your body has developed a kind of immunity to it now, because of the bit in your shoulder. Furthermore, he knows now that Atem would fight to protect you, and now that you've gained a bit of confidence from the first time, he wouldn't be able to keep you imprisoned like before. Zorc would know better not to try it again."

Noah sighed in relief, smiling weakly, before looking to Yugi as he folded his hands in his lap, "Atem's a cool guy…To be honest, I thought he was a bit annoying at first, w-with his mannerisms and ego n' all…"

This made Yugi stifle a small laugh, coughing to cover it, but then Noah gave a small nod, "Now, though…a-after he came for me and fought to help me…I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Yugi smiled, "A lot of people think that. Myself, included."

This made Noah's smile widen a little, and then he felt a sharp chill in his shoulder that made him wince, albeit subtly.

Yugi looked back at him when he noticed the movement, smile dissipating, "Noah–?"

Noah felt the chill again, and put a shaking hand over his stomach, trembling abruptly, "Th-That's funny…" He said softly, brows knit, and he gasped quietly from another chill, "I-I—I f-feel really _cold_ s-suddenly…"

Yugi's eyes widened and he stood, taking one of Noah's arms to help him up, "I'm taking you home; you're not wearing the Puzzle—"

Right when Noah got to his feet though, he gave another small gasp and wince, falling limp and collapsing to the ground, trembling all over.

" _ **Noah**_ _–!"_ Yugi caught him and carefully laid him down, "Noah, can you hear me!? _Noah–!"_

Noah's face was troubled, but he didn't respond at all, abruptly unconscious. A few people were beginning to gather around them, looking on in worry from having seen him pass out. Yugi noticed a couple people call for an ambulance, but he kept his eyes on Noah's face.

He felt Noah's forehead; the sudden fever he had was startling and it looked as though he was having a nightmare.

Yugi tensed before trying to gently shake him, "Noah! _Noah_ , please, wake up! _Noah!?—_ _ **Noah**_ _!?"_

* * *

There was a vague calling of his name coming from fifty feet away, or farther still. All that could be seen was an empty black abyss, and what was first heard more clearly was a dark chuckle.

A flash of red; Noah heard someone call him, as if from across an arena, and it sounded a lot like his father. But it was scared, fearful, as if he was desperately trying to get his attention.

A slash of silver, and a bright flash of blue. This time, Noah heard an unearthly growl, and a shout that sounded an awful lot like "Traitor!"

Gold cut across the abyss; he was sure he heard Atem yell out in pain, if not complete anguish.

Then he abruptly heard many voices at once, thousands of people crying out for help or for mercy, before a bolt of black lightning crashed behind his eyelids, and a sharp yell of pain and suffering followed after it that was immediately silenced.

* * *

Noah shot up with a scream and wide eyes, something cold that had been against his forehead flying off towards the end of a bed he was in. He trembled all over as the ringing in his ears was dying off.

Then a pair of hands gently took his face, making him look at a blurred face that quickly sharpened to reveal Yugi, looking at him with knit brows, but Noah still couldn't hear him properly when Yugi had spoken.

"Wh-What–?" He got out weakly.

The ringing was quieting down in his ears enough that he was able to hear when Yugi said a bit louder, "It's okay, you're all right…!"

Noah then quickly looked around. He looked to be at the hospital, but not in a special room or anything. Perhaps the ER, and a couple curtains were drawn around them, but it didn't look like he had been given anything, or had been checked over yet. He'd had a cold cloth over his forehead [which was what had been thrown earlier], and a thin sheet of sweat covered his body.

He then looked back to Yugi as the ring died off entirely.

"Wh-Where did we—I-I mean wh-what did I—where happened the—" He groaned in frustration.

But Yugi only carefully laid him back, gently shushing him as he looked over him, "It's okay…You're at the hospital, you blacked out back at the park…You've been out for an hour now. Take a deep breath…"

Noah shakily panted, but tried to take in a deep breath as Yugi replaced the cold cloth over his forehead, "B-But…Wh-While I was out—d-did anything—did anything h-happen? D-Did I s-say anything–?"

Yugi frowned a little, "Quite a bit, actually. I thought you had woken up at one point."

"Wh-What did I say–?" He wanted to know while the memory was still fresh in his mind.

"Well…you only mumbled a bit at the start…you looked like you were in pain. Then you…asked for me, then Atem. Then, I think you said 'I'm with you,' or 'I can hear you'—it was hard to tell, you were mumbling again. Then you flinched and you said 'no' and 'traitor.' After that, you started moving and clawing at your stomach like something was hurting you, and you kept begging for help…"

Noah's breathing had slowed back to regular pace, and he looked off.

Yugi looked back in concern, putting a hand to Noah's shoulder, "Do you feel okay?"

Noah gave a tiny nod, "I-I think so? M-My shoulder still feels a bit numb…a-and it feels like I have a headache…"

Then he put a hand over his father's, and Yugi jumped, "You still have a fever…"

"The Puzzle. I-I need to talk to Atem," Noah replied, but kept his voice quiet just in case. He didn't want a doctor overhearing him.

"Your mother said she'd bring it with her," Yugi said with a nod, also keeping his own voice low, "She and Joey are on their way over. Joey felt he should come, in case you ended up thrashing—which you _were_ nearly at that point."

Noah looked off, brows knit, "Th-The memory of it is already starting to fade…but I-I remember hearing so many voices…all crying out in pain…and then this black lightning bolt hit something—that's what woke me up."

"A _black_ lightning bolt?" Yugi questioned.

Noah nodded, but then looked off again, "I still feel really cold…H-How do I have a fever–?"

"Your body is probably reacting to the combination of dark and pure energy within you…" Yugi mused quietly, "It's just something you'll have to adjust to, over time."

Noah looked off in a glare, his hand falling from Yugi's, "I hate this…it makes me feel weak…"

"You're only as weak as you let yourself be," Yugi pointed out.

However, Noah fell quiet after this; he felt tired, but in all honesty, he felt the earlier resentment towards his father bubbling up again, and he didn't particularly want to talk anymore.

Yugi slowly removed his hand from Noah's shoulder, catching the hint that Noah wanted to be alone.

"I'll…go see if your mother's here," He replied quietly, standing up and heading out, briefly moving a curtain before putting it back into place.

Once his father was gone, Noah removed the cold pack, setting it aside, and then turned to his side and curled himself up a little.

He brought a hand over his mouth to prevent his breathing from speeding up too much, or from being heard, but then held-back tears spilled over from his eyes as he tried to muffle a few small sobs.


	13. Part 13

After checking over Noah herself when she got to the hospital, Téa took the Puzzle from her bag and placed it around Noah's neck, and then headed back out with Yugi and Joey after being reassured Noah was okay. On the way out, Yugi looked like he was going to say something, but only cryptically said that Noah should get some rest.

Once he was alone again, Noah laid back, gently closing his eyes so that in case anyone walked in on him, it just looked like he was resting [catching his father's hint on how to conceal the 'conversation'].

Within a few seconds of being left alone, Noah heard Atem in the back of his mind, _'Noah? Are you all right?'_

' _Oh, yeah, I'm brilliant,'_ Noah answered flatly.

' _I could feel you pass out,"_ Atem went on, tone still worried, _'Do you feel any different–?'_

' _To be honest, I feel a bit 'dulled'—y'know, like, that feeling you have in your mind after recovering from a migraine, or something…'_

' _Do you remember anything about the nightmare you had?'_

' _Not anymore, unfortunately.'_

' _I might be able to look at your memory myself, then, but it may not be pleasant for you. Would you be all right with me doing that?'_

Noah settled back into the pillows, _'Seeing as I can't remember something that could very well be life-threateningly important, I say: knock yourself out.'_

' _You've already taken care of that once.'_

' _Touché.'_

Then it became abruptly quiet for Noah, before he jumped at sensing something internally off. It felt like a sudden weight came into his mind.

He gripped the covers beneath him from the sudden discomfort. He'd never felt Atem's presence this much in his mind before, and it almost felt unnerving. It wasn't quite as strange or painful as when Zorc had been present within him, but it was discomforting all the same. It sent a shudder up his spine, and put pressure on his head.

' _It's all right, it's only me,'_ Atem reassured in a moment of pause.

' _I-I know, it—it just feels weird…Go ahead—I-I'll be fine…'_

Noah tried to relax as much as he could, but then a flush of memory crashed into his mind behind his eyelids within the next few moments, and he could see his nightmare in full.

It was a rooftop, one that somehow felt familiar to Noah; he saw some demonic humanoid, screaming at the top of its lungs, and then the black lightning bolt crashed down from above, striking it, along with two other forms.

Noah's eyes snapped open again with a gasp, and he was trembling again; to see it in vivid detail was a bit more painful and shocking than the first time.

" _Good God…"_ He mumbled to himself, running a hand over his face, feeling a fresh sheet of perspiration over it, and tears he didn't know had fallen.

' _I'm sorry,'_ Atem apologized softly, _'I should've forewarned you…Are you all right?'_

' _I-I'm all right,"_ Noah reassured after wiping off his face, _'Just…now I'd like to know what it means.'_

' _I'm not sure…'_

This startled Noah a little, _'What–?'_

' _I don't have all the answers, Noah. And this dream is only making the situation more confusing and disconnected…I'm not even sure if this is_ _ **just**_ _related to Zorc anymore. Something, some power, was awakened in you the moment you summoned me back; we have no way of knowing how that power will take shape.'_

Noah gave a quiet sigh, letting his head fall back. It was a lot of information at once, and was just barely overwhelming him again; but it was hard to run from something in your own head.

' _It would be good for you to talk about it.'_

Noah frowned at that, _'We…have been…?'_

' _I don't mean with_ _ **me**_ _, Noah,'_ Before Noah could argue, Atem added firmly, _'He wants to help you; you forget, but he's been through similar things. And you can't tell me you don't care, because we_ _ **both**_ _know you'd be lying.'_

Noah gave a small huff, before gently closing his eyes again.

' _I'm just…still not comfortable with him…being 'around' and 'caring', yet…'_ He frowned, _'I still don't trust him…I'm trying to, it's just…i-it's hard…'_

' _I know you're trying…that alone is a big step. But that's why I think you should talk to Yugi again. It might make things a bit easier for the two of you.'_

Noah sighed again, opening his eyes, and sunk further back into the pillows again, saying nothing in response.

* * *

In the next couple hours, Noah was released, and the four headed back to the house. Yugi noticed that Noah was a great deal quieter, and looked fairly solemn, but decided against saying anything.

Once back home, they went in and Tristan greeted them, and then Sarah and Jessie said hello to them as well [though Jessie was a bit more interested in Noah in particular].

However, it was within the next ten minutes that Noah heard Joey sigh.

"Well, isn't that _great…?"_ He asked flatly, moving to show Noah and Yugi the day's newspaper, specifically the picture on the front page.

It was blurred, but the face was purposefully shown to the security camera, and it still looked exactly like Noah.

Yugi frowned, looking over the few words within the article, "He's still going around as you…But, at least it's still just small thefts…And it looks like Kaiba's keeping his word about trying to deflect the media attention off of you—trying to put the blame on someone else…"

At this, some part of Noah snapped. He took the paper off the counter rather abruptly, half-crunching it, though not entirely.

He spoke in a heated tone as he went over towards the kitchen, "Oh, _great_ , yeah that's _just_ what I needed, right? Passin' out every five minutes, not able to go outside my own house unless accompanied by someone like I'm a little kid," He gave a twisted smirk, volume rising, "Oh, yeah! And let's _not_ forget that I have a psychotic _nutcase_ out to get me! I've got the dream life!"

Everyone else watched him carefully, until Joey finally asked hesitantly, "You…feelin' okay, kiddo?"

"Y'know, _no._ I'm really _not_ feelin' okay," Noah snapped before slamming the crumpled newspaper onto the countertop, "I'm _not_ okay with some guy coming along and suddenly claiming I _own_ something that belongs to him and he sees it fit to kill me for it; I'm _not_ okay with him turning my life inside out, I'm _not_ okay with him hurting people I care about, and I'm definitely _not_ fuckin' 'okay' with him coming back like nothing fucking happened!"

The last outburst caused all to straighten, but Noah glared out the window and leaned forward on his elbows, not saying anything more while he gripped the countertop.

Yugi's face was empty, however, and his eyes were saddened.

While everyone else remained silent, Yugi moved to stand next to Noah, leaning on the counter with his back to the window.

"You're not talking about Zorc."

Everyone else straightened once again, and the air grew tense, Téa moving to the edge of the kitchen next to Joey.

Noah didn't respond at first, but then he looked down in, eyes narrowed.

The he stood straight again, only to aim his glare at his father, tone still heated.

"What kind of man thinks he can up and leave for ten years, and then come back like nothing happened?" He shot at Yugi, "Where do you get the _gall_ to come back here after everything you did–?"

"I already told you that if you wanted me to leave, I would."

"Like _hell_ I'd ask for that!" Noah snapped, glare deepening, "You think I'd watch Mom get hurt from you leaving all over again?—Do you think I'm _that_ selfish–? Are you _that_ willing to walk out on her again?"

Téa jumped, looking down and away, and Yugi was silent, though his brows knit.

"And that's what drives me insane the most!" Noah continued, volume rising, "These past ten years, I kept hearing so fuckin' much about how _great_ you were! How _sad_ it was you were gone, how _sad_ it was for me and Mom! 'Oh, you poor thing'—'I just can't believe he'd leave you'—'I hope he's okay, this must be _awful_ for your mother'— _'The Yugi_ _ **I**_ _knew would never just_ _ **LEAVE**_ _!'"_

Yugi's shoulders grew all the more rigid as Noah went on, but he remained silent. When he did, Noah's glare deepened.

"Well, apparently they _don't_ know you! No one fucking does, because you weren't _anything_ like they were saying, those years before you up and left! You changed for no damn reason and even now I wonder if Mom and I are the only ones who saw it! Was it all just an act?—Did it get too hard for you to put up a front for your own _family_ –?"

"It wasn't an act!" Yugi finally snapped, standing up and glaring back at Noah.

"Of _course_ not!" Noah's glare didn't lighten, and his tone was sarcastic, "Because _now_ you're 'back'!—You've got this group of people who still _somehow_ look up to you to protect you! Well, that doesn't work for me! You can't hide behind them like the _coward_ I know you are!"

"I am _not_ a coward," Yugi cut in quietly, threatening.

"Like _hell,"_ Noah snapped, "You _ran._ You fucking _ran_ and left us behind! You ran from your _family_ and _you don't even care! You_ _ **never**_ _cared!"_

" _I_ _ **did**_ _care!"_ Yugi finally snapped, that sentence making him wince and finally shout, "I _do_ care about you!— _And_ your mother! And all the rest of my family! I wouldn't have even _tried_ going through what I did at your age if I didn't have my friends and family! I wouldn't be standing here without your Mom, Joey, and Tristan! I wouldn't abandon my family, not in a conscious choice!—I'm _sorry_ for what happened—"

"You're ' _sorry'–?!"_ Noah cut in with wide eyes, once again yelling, "You're 'sorry' you up and left for ten years!? You're 'sorry' that you _abandoned_ us!?—You're _'sorry'_ that you made me 'grow up' when I was fuckin' _**ten years old**_ _–!?"_

Yugi had opened his mouth to argue, but caught his breath as he thought about it; after a moment, he sighed shallowly, sticking his hands in his pockets again.

Within a second, it seemed he had calmed, but then he looked back at Noah with a light glare, "What do you _want_ , Noah? You don't want me to leave, but it sure as hell doesn't sound like you want me to stay."

After a second, Noah's hands clenched into fists, glare deepening once, "I want to know _why_. I want to know _where_ , and I want to know _how_ you could have even _thought_ about leaving. Everything was as close to perfect as it could be before those few years—it was just the three of us, we were _happy_. And then suddenly _everything_ changed— _you_ changed! You ruined _everything_ , you ruined _us!_ The worst I'd thought when you up and left was that you were dead somewhere—and that obviously _isn't_ the case!"

Yugi looked down and away, voice quieting, "Not entirely, anyway…"

This caused Noah to start just a little, and his eyes narrowed, and he finally calmed just a little, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Yugi opened his mouth, like he was going to answer. Then his hands moved to his pockets again, but he looked down and away, "You won't believe me."

"Try me," Noah nearly growled, "I've seen a lot of crazy shit lately."

Yugi looked back up at him.

Noah was unmoving. After a second, he sharply added, "I _deserve_ to know what happened."

Yugi's eyes narrowed at that, and he looked at him for a long time.

Then Yugi took a breath, one not all that deep, and kept his hands to his pockets as he looked off, "To tell you what happened, I need to tell you about what led up to it…Do you remember when you were seven, that summer I had gone on an archeological dig?"

Noah gave a terse shrug, "Vaguely; I just remember you were only gone for a few days."

"On that dig, the rest of the group didn't find anything of historical significance or importance," Yugi shifted his position a little, "But…I did. I was just looking over an area we'd already been to. I felt something stirring in me…At first, I couldn't find why, until I found a pendant that looked near like a miniature recreation of the Millennium Puzzle.

"Naturally, because of the appearance, I brought it back home with me; but once I took hold of it, I didn't want anyone else on the dig seeing it. I could feel _something_ about it, but I didn't know what. So, I took it back to my office, and left it for the weekend before going back in on Monday. But even over the weekend, I thought about it, all the time."

"Yeah. Mom said you looked distracted," Noah confirmed with a small nod, glare having dissipated from his face for the moment, though his shoulders remained tense.

Yugi gave a small nod as well, "I went back in on Monday, and started examining the pendant. At first, it really just seemed like a cheap copy. I considered a few times just tossing it; something prevented me from simply doing so."

" _Prevented_ you?—What was stopping you?"

"Me. Something inside me just…refused to get rid of it, even when I honestly thought it was just a dud. But the more I examined it, the more I felt myself…changing. My thoughts were becoming clouded…I didn't eat, I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was that pendant—that _stupid_ pendant and how after three months I could finally feel it had some kind of power in it."

Yugi looked off, tone growing bitter, "Power that, for some reason, I _desperately_ wanted. I had never wanted something _that_ much, not for years. And it had _never_ been power."

A bit of quiet settled, before Yugi shifted a bit again, and continued, "Months were passing by. My mind seemed to focus solely on that pendant. I was sick, your mom had already warned me of that—many times—and then in some subconscious part of my mind, I could see you were growing all the lonelier. I was dismissing calls from my office about other trips and digs; I was ignoring friends and colleagues concerned for my health. All I spent time doing was testing that pendant and seeing what kind of power it had."

His eyes darkened a little, "Then I finally put the damn thing on. Immediately, I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't take it off. Like the Millennium Items, it bonded itself to me in a way that it felt connected to my soul. I slept with it on, showered with it on; I _never_ took it off. I wasn't in total control of my actions anymore.

"I would go to work, sit there brooding in whatever negative thoughts the pendant implanted, even snap at close friends, then come home, lie there awake in bed, and then leave early the next day. It became such a normal feeling that I never noticed what it had really been doing. It had been completely draining my soul—sucking every bit of life out of my physical being."

A frown came over Yugi's forehead and he looked down, "The day I finally noticed—when I finally started fighting through that haze—was the day before your birthday."

Noah looked away. Not vividly, but he could remember the gist of what he had shouted in the argument: _"You don't even care! You_ _ **never**_ _cared! Go ahead and leave, and this time,_ _ **don't come back**_ _!_ _ **I hate you**_ _!"_

"When we had that fight, I finally heard what I sounded like," Yugi continued, remembering the event himself. He moved a hand to his forehead, eyes narrowing as they stung, "How I told you I couldn't be there, that I wouldn't be home…What kind of father tells their own _child_ that…!? Seeing your reaction…how much that hurt you, how I just _stood there_ …It finally 'awakened' me enough to be aware of myself…how I had been acting for so long. I took the pendant off for the first time, even if I could still feel it urging me to keep it on."

His face became placid again, and he looked back up at Noah, hand falling away, "I planned on taking it to the office and destroying it. If not destroy it, at the very least get rid of it, _somehow_. Then I was going to surprise you and come back home early that day…apologize, try and start making things right again…I stopped by and picked up a gift first, attached a note to it, and then went back to the office to get rid of the pendant."

Noah's eyes were wide, "That…That was my first Duel Disk…! _You_ got that? Mom gave it to me saying that you'd bought it, but I thought—well—I-I thought…"

"That _she_ had bought it, and was just saying it was from me…?" Yugi mused quietly, giving a small shrug, "I can't say I blame you for that."

Noah stared at Yugi a moment more, but then looked to him with knit brows, "But then…y-you were gone for _ten_ _ **years**_ —i-if that's all true and it really happened—if you were planning on coming back home, h-how did you just fall off the face of the Earth?"

Yugi was quiet again for a moment, before looking back up, "Because I _did_ fall off the face of the Earth. But not by my own choice."

Noah jumped, straightening.

Yugi took another breath, subconsciously wincing while he closed his eyes to recount, "I left your gift in the car and took the pendant into my office for a final time; I brought the hammer from the garage, and was just going to get it over and done with," He opened his eyes, casting them downward again, adding with bitterness, "I wish it had been _that_ easy for once…"

Then he looked back up at Noah, coming a step closer to him while his eyes filled with apology, "The minute I tried to destroy it, the room filled with darkness, and I felt numb. I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe—but then I didn't feel the need to. I didn't sleep, and it took me…probably the first year before realizing the pendant had trapped me in the shadows."

This made Noah's heart sink in an abrupt lurch, eyes wide; he sensed Atem's presence and knew he was now listening intently as well. Everyone else had either gasped or jumped as well.

' _All this time…?!'_ Noah heard from the back of his mind.

He stammered for a moment before his brows knit, following Atem's thought, "A-All this time…y-you've—y-you've been trapped in the _shadows?"_

Yugi looked down before looking back up at Noah, a crease just barely forming between his brows.

Noah's instinct to deny any defense for his father failed him at that moment; he could see a shadow in Yugi's eyes, something only painful memories and trauma left behind in a soul. It was a shadow he saw in his own eyes. He knew it was the truth.

"But…B-But then h-how—?" Noah's eyes stung as he stared at him, wide-eyed, "H-How're you _here?_ H-How're you even _sane_ –? How'd you ever free yourself–?"

At that, a thoughtful gaze came over Yugi's face, "Actually, I don't think I did…I wouldn't have been able to. I had been…almost totally consumed by the shadows by then. I…don't really even think I _was_ still sane anymore—I hadn't been for a long time. But then something called to me, and there was a small moment of clarity, for the first time in ten years. Something else freed me from the shadows. All I could hear was _'He needs you. It's time for you to go back to him.'_ I don't know how, but…I knew they meant you."

He looked back up at Noah, "Whatever freed me from the shadows, it was _right_ when Zorc had poisoned you. All I could think about once I was free was how I needed to get back to you, that I needed to help you or stay by you in some way…and how I needed to tell you what happened, and apologize for it…for everything…"

He looked down and away, glaring at the floor, "I just…didn't think that same mistake would _keep_ following me around…"

A slight shine came to Noah's eyes from held-back tears. Everything he'd believed and solidified as fact in his mind over the past ten years had just been proven untrue.

All this time, he had just assumed his father had become the 'bored' husband, leaving the wife and child for dead and running off with another woman, at best.

But it wasn't the case at all—in fact, his leave wasn't even of his own decision. True, it was Yugi's decision to keep the pendant nearby, and he let himself succumb so far into the darkness; but, at the same time, he had then tried everything to get back home, to make up for what had happened. He had tried _everything_ to get out of the darkness.

Noah's throat felt dry, his breaths quick, and he felt the desire again that he'd had as a child, of rushing at Yugi with a hug once he had come back home again. And he almost did.

But then he noticed a small movement.

Yugi's hands were still in his pockets, and it looked like he was fiddling with something. Actually, when Noah thought about it, he noticed Yugi had made the same movement a few times over the past few days, but only now did it connect what the movement _really_ meant.

Noah's eyes widened first, but then he looked up at Yugi, expression hardening into a small glare, "You…Y-You still _have_ it! You're just not _wearing_ it–!"

Yugi froze and he snatched up his head, straightening and gulping back a large lump in his throat; then he slowly, shaking, removed his hands from his pockets, and everyone jumped or took a step back.

In his right hand, he held the pendant itself. A thin rope was still attached to the small ringlet at the top, and the actual pendent was about a fourth of the Puzzle's size. The ruby-like Eye took up an entire side of it, but it almost seemed like it could explode from the amount of dark energy held within it. The energy wasn't _visible_ of course, but Noah could feel a harsh pressure fall over the room suddenly that made him jump back from Yugi.

Yugi stared down at it in a longing, almost _loving_ manner, though his face was all too placid as he felt the metal of the pendant between his fingers, "It was still sitting on my desk, when I was freed…waiting for me, after ten years…"

The tone of his voice bothered Noah. He frowned in disapproval, mind racing in thought while Yugi fawned over the wretched thing.

Then Noah straightened again after a second, taking a deep breath, before very slowly holding a hand out to his father.

"Give me the pendant," He said softly.

Yugi flinched as if Noah had yelled, eyes snapping up to the blue and becoming wide. A darkness came over his face, and he suddenly had an entirely different demeanor.

"Why?" He asked back, almost in a snap, clutching onto the pendant, though the small shake was still in his voice.

Noah didn't move away, and he kept his tone calm, "You said you wanted to get rid of it—let me help you. Give me the pendant."

After a second of hesitation, Yugi took a step back, bring the pendant closer to his person, and gave a small shake of his head, "No. No, _I've_ kept it all this time; it's mine. I-It's fine now. I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't," Noah's brows knit, "Dad, please. Just give the pendant to me."

" _Why should I?"_ Yugi asked harshly all of a sudden, making everyone jump. A glare came over his face, angry all while he still looked fearful and ill, "You'd take it for yourself. Well, it's mine. It waited for me. _I'm_ its master."

" _I_ am not a thief," A glare came over Noah's face again, "And _you're_ not 'master' of it, _it's master of_ _ **you**_. And it is still _killing_ you. You're still completely _obsessed_ with this thing—do you even _realize_ how you're acting? You haven't been able to rest, you haven't been eating; this is just like before you disappeared. I won't lose you like that again. Now I'm asking you to _give it to me."_

Yugi trembled greatly, the glare present but wavering and his whole arm shook like a leaf as he clutched onto the pendant tightly, _"I can't_ —I can't do that! I can't get rid of it—it's too strong— _I need it!"_

" _No_ , you _don't_. It's just a stupid trinket," Noah replied with a shake of his head, "Will you _really_ throw everything away _again?"_

Yugi took another step back, still wide-eyed and trembling all over, like a deer caught in headlights. The others each looked on with bated breath, though Joey had moved closer to Téa and kept an arm around her shoulders to prevent her from intervening.

Noah tensed as well, but he heard Atem from the back of his mind, seeing him in his peripheral vision.

' _Noah, let me take over—please, or at least stop—this is too much for him right now, he's not well–!'_

' _No. I_ _ **need**_ _to do this, and so does he. The Yugi you knew is still there—the Yugi_ _ **I**_ _knew is still there. I've seen it getting stronger. It'll be okay, I promise.'_

"Dad, you _have_ to give me that pendant," Noah restated firmly.

Yugi gave another shake of his head, "What makes you think that'll help _anything_? What makes you think you'll make a difference? Why would anything be different _now_ compared to before–?"

Noah took a step closer. Yugi was flat against the wall already, so he couldn't move back any further. When Noah put a hand to his shoulder, Yugi flinched and made a small noise of protest, as if the touch burned him.

"Because _I'm_ here this time," Noah said in a whisper, "I know now that you're too scared to do it alone. And I don't _want_ you to do this alone; you tried that before, and it didn't work. I want to help you this time. _I want you to come home._ You're surrounded by friends and family who love you, and care for you. _They_ want you home."

Noah's brows knit, "We can start _fixing_ _this_. Together."

The shake in Yugi's body steadied just a bit, and his eyes were glassy from tears. His grip had loosened quite a bit around the pendant, but it had not gone entirely.

" _I-I_ _ **want**_ _to…!"_ He near-whispered, grip shifting between tightening and loosening, but he didn't take his eyes from Noah's, "What—What if it traps me again…!?"

Noah didn't break his gaze at all, "It won't. You don't have to be afraid anymore. It won't be able to hurt you, and it won't control you."

Yugi stared at Noah, hand still shaking dangerously, though it remained over Noah's open hand.

Everyone watched in silence. No one moved.

…The pendant slipped from Yugi's hand. Noah caught it by the rope.

Again, things were still. But Noah could see the immediate change in his father's face.

The darkness abruptly vanished from Yugi's eyes as he let out a shaken breath. The bags under his eyes lightened a great deal right off the bat.

Then he slumped down against the wall, Noah keeping him steady as he panted lightly and trembled all over.

Already, he looked much healthier, not quite so pale, and his face didn't look so sunken-in. Noah watched him carefully, and he tucked the pendant into his own pocket, out of sight, while he watched and waited for Yugi to react; he could sense the darkness from the pendant, but it seemed like the energy of the Puzzle was canceling it out, preventing it from affecting Noah in the same way it had affected his father.

After a moment of sitting, Yugi looked outward and blinked a couple times—a few tears leaking out the corners—breathing evenly before finally speaking again.

"My chest hasn't felt this light in years…" He replied quietly, voice shaking in relief.

Noah smiled weakly, giving a small nod, "Try taking a deep breath…?"

It took a couple tries, but Yugi did finally manage to take in a deep breath; he let his eyes flutter closed once he took it in, the air feeling clean in his lungs and his mind felt a great deal more cleared with the action, his whole body shuddering.

Then he looked back up at Noah, staring at him for a moment before hesitantly raising a hand to feel Noah's face. The action made Noah relax as well, and he let out a small exhale.

A weak smile came onto Yugi's face, "I can actually feel you, now…the warmth…"

Noah's smile broadened a bit, and it made Yugi give a weak grin, "I haven't seen that smile in so long… _God, I missed it…!"_

Noah's eyes narrowed from the small sting of tears in them before he embraced Yugi freely.

Yugi was stiff for only a moment before returning the hug, tightly, shuddering and relaxing into it. He reached a shaking hand up to run it through Noah's hair, laying his head against Noah's and shuddering again. He even managed a weak laugh of relief.

Téa kept her hands over her mouth to keep herself quiet, but tears were streaming down her face as she watched them.

Yugi then looked up and over at her, and she gave a small sob at seeing the familiar light and soul of her childhood friend in his eyes. He smiled to her, and kept one arm around Noah while he reached his hand out to her.

She came over and took his hand, before kneeling down and hugging him as well. He embraced both of them, keeping his arms tight around them, still shaking and crying from relief.

* * *

In his bedroom a few hours later, Noah held the pendant in his eyesight by the rope, glaring at it.

He still felt the darkness within it, but he was entirely relaxed, one hand tucked in his back pocket. He could feel the darkness trying to reach into his mind, like a faint buzzing, but it seemed to be blocked by the Puzzle's energy for the most part.

At one point, Noah finally asked aloud, "So…? What should we do with it…?"

Atem's translucent form came up next to him, glaring at the object as well, _"Yugi was right: it_ _ **is**_ _just a cheap copy. I see no reason in preserving it. Might be better just to try and destroy it."_

"Can't try the same thing Dad did, though. Otherwise, we might end up even worse off than now," Noah looked directly at Atem, "Plan B?"

Atem sighed and put a hand to his chin in thought, looking off for a moment before responding, _"For now, we might as well just leave it alone, keep it hidden somewhere. I don't know where, but we should keep it away from people until the energy has died off."_

Noah gave a nod, and headed over to his bed; Atem jumped and watched him, and before he could question what he was doing, Noah moved a piece of carpet from under his bed, showing the floorboards underneath, and then pulled up a loose board.

He dropped the pendant into the compartment under the floorboard, and then dropped the board again and covered it once more.

Noah looked up at Atem with raised brows, "Taken care of."

Atem gave a nod of agreement, and looked back to Noah, _"So…where's Yugi now?"_

"He went to their room to _sleep_ ; he needs it. Mom went up with him, too, and she'll probably make him eat something once he's slept a while."

Then Noah gave a long exhale and fell back onto his own bed, looking up at the ceiling.

" _I couldn't tell you had felt all that,"_ Atem admitted softly, crossing his arms, _"About Yugi, about him leaving…I could only see a fraction of it…"_

Noah took the following silence as expectation.

He sighed shallowly, brows knitting without looking away from the ceiling, to a wall, "I knew how much he meant to you. I can still remember all the stories…about the 'young man,' the 'ancient spirit'…That wouldn't've been fair to you, when you haven't been here to see how it had been. I didn't…want to ruin your memory of him."

Atem straightened, mouth parting in mild shock.

Noah folded his hands over his stomach, "Besides, maybe…m-maybe some part of me was still…hopeful. Still keeping faith that he'd at least come back. That he'd…turn out like you said."

A weak smile came onto his face, "And…I-I guess he did…"

Atem smiled weakly in return, shoulders relaxing just a little.

After a moment, Noah's smile gradually fell and his eyes narrowed, "Y'know…A-All this time, I-I'd been so angry at him, I…I-It almost became my entire personality just to be _mad_ at everything…A-And, now…"

When he was quiet and didn't finish, Atem's smile broadened and he sat on the bed next to Noah, his ethereal form not even denting into the covers, _"You need to figure out who you really are again."_

Noah hesitated, but blinked a couple times, "Yeah…and, I-I'm not exactly sure _how_ to do it…i-it's…daunting…"

" _It'll take time,"_ Atem admitted, but he kept his smile in place, _"And you may find you still like some things and dislike others instead. But it'll settle in soon enough; it'll feel like nothing changed."_

Noah gave a weak scoff, but then finally looked over to Atem, smiling again, "Y'know, I think I'm starting to get used to your positive 'tude, dude."

Atem smiled back in thanks, and then Noah let his eyes close to rest as well, and for just a bit let the weight of his life lift off his shoulders.


	14. Part 14

The sound of moving currents deep on the ocean floor echoed in the abyss.

A feeling of suffocation, being held down by water, kept his limbs heavy. He was alone, pain pressing on his head that made him feel numb.

Then there was the demonic, humanoid-like creature, only it looked less like a demon this time. It seemed a bit more human. But it still gave an unearthly screech, and the word "Traitor" was still caught in the bellowing.

And then it sent the black lightning bolt, which nearly made direct contact as it surged through the silence.

* * *

Noah gave a terse yell as he sat up, panting heavily from the scare and adrenaline still shooting through his system.

He'd had the same nightmare the past three days, though the water had only become a part of it in this last occurrence. What's more, the demon that kept popping up was starting to look less and less like a demon and more like a person. It disturbed him quite a bit, if he thought about it too much (which he desperately tried not to).

After a few minutes, he sighed in relief as his heartbeat slowed back to regular pace, and wiped his forehead on his arm before checking his clock. He needed to get up for school anyway. But then, it was the one day out of the year he didn't have to be in-uniform, so at least he could be comfortable.

A knock came to his door after he got dressed, having just pulled his shirt over his head, "Yeah–?"

He looked over to see Yugi open the door; his father's health had bettered dramatically over the past few days. He'd been able to eat and sleep as usual, so he didn't look quite so thin and his face wasn't sunken in anymore; his eyes carried a kind of light that hadn't been present for nearly twelve years, a friendliness in them that made it hard not to smile.

Almost immediately upon facing him, Noah strode over to hug him; it was something of a reflex now, whenever Noah saw Yugi around the house, just to hug him in midst of whatever was going on. It was like an anchor. And Yugi never minded; it moved him, actually, since Téa told him Noah hadn't been so 'touchy' for years, except with her.

Upon drawing back, though, Yugi frowned just a little.

"Everything okay…?" He gently questioned, "I thought I heard you yell."

Noah shrugged as he went over to put the Puzzle around his neck, "Was just the nightmare again."

Yugi straightened, "The same one?"

"Nope."

"No?"

"This one was underwater."

Yugi sighed, shaking his head, before looking to him with knit brows, "Noah, usually when you have a reoccurring nightmare, it means there's something _wrong._ That, or something _will_ be, soon enough. I wish you would take this a bit more seriously…"

Noah gave another shrug, moving across the bedroom to get his school bag, "I've checked in with Atem every time; he says there's nothing off-balance internally and I never feel any different after waking up. What's there to be so serious about?"

"How about _during_ the nightmare?" Yugi questioned in a quiet tone as Noah passed him in the doorway.

This made Noah hesitate in his movements for a moment, before he looked back to Yugi, "Hot. Guilty. And angry."

His father's eyes narrowed, but Noah went into the bathroom across the way and closed the door down, so Yugi spoke through the wood.

"You don't have to worry about being late this time, by the way," He replied, deciding to change the subject for now.

"Yeah?" Noah questioned from inside.

Yugi looked down at his shirt as he straightened his collar, "Yep. I'm taking you today."

The sound of movement stopped, before the door opened abruptly and Noah looked to his father with an arched brow, _"You're_ taking me?"

Yugi looked up at him, "Yes. Your mother had to leave early for work and I thought it'd be good for the two of us to have a bit more time together."

Noah smiled weakly, before his eyebrows rose, "What _exactly_ will you tell people when the _**Great**_ _Yugi Mutou_ suddenly appears after having vanished into thin air…?"

Yugi shrugged, looking back down, "Went on a business trip, got stranded on the boat ride back and was the only survivor."

The simplicity and calmness of his tone made Noah look at him with knit brows, "Y-You…said that _way_ too easily."

"Only because I've practiced saying it to Joey over the past few days," Yugi explained, looking back up, "He also helped to make it a bit more believable. And to anyone else, it would explain why you had the sudden change of demeanor and opinion on what happened compared to _before_ I got back."

Noah gave a nod, but then went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready as Yugi headed downstairs. Upon coming downstairs himself, Noah finally noticed just what Yugi was wearing: high-collared, button-down white shirt; dark black slacks; navy blazer; and a deep purple tie.

"You look _nice,"_ Noah emphasized as he came over to the counter, a brow arching.

Yugi offered a shrug, "First time being out in public and back to work after ten years. Thought I may as well dress _decently."_

Noah's brows rose, and once both had eaten and were ready to go, they went out to the car and then headed over to Domino High.

The ride over was fairly quiet, however Noah directed Yugi's attention at one point, "W-Wait a sec, pull over–?"

Yugi did so, and Noah caught the attention of two girls walking by, _"Hey Jessie!—Sarah–!"_

The two paused and looked over at him. Sarah wore a long-sleeved pale pink blouse, along with a pair of dark blue overalls; Jessie wore a short green skirt with a long hot pink sweater over it.

Both smiled in greeting to him, though it was Jessie who came over to him first.

"Hi, Noah!" She greeted excitedly.

Sarah came up shortly after, leaning down to peek in and look at Yugi, "Morning, Mr. Mutou."

He waved off the address, "You can just call me Yugi, Sarah."

She smiled, and then Noah looked between them, "Want a ride the rest of the way? I wasn't expecting one myself this morning."

They smiled and nodded, giving thanks as they got in the back seat.

Once they were driving again, Sarah looked over the shoulder of the passenger seat to Noah, "So…any more weird nightmares?"

"The same one the past three nights," He answered with a shrug, and then his eyebrows rose, "Though, last night's had the _spectacular_ underwater views…"

Sarah frowned, but Jessie replied with a knowing tone, "Pressure."

Noah jumped, but looked around to Jessie, who sat behind the driver's seat, "Beg pardon–?"

"It's symbolizing pressure; since it alludes to the pressure you feel when you go deeper into the sea, it's representing pressure present in your life. Whether by people or events or things in general is determined by the person dreaming," She explained, before giving a thoughtful nod, "I'm not surprised. You've had a lot happen in the past week."

"How do you even _know_ that stuff, though?" Noah asked with an arched brow, a bit put-off by her interpretation (mainly from how accurate it sounded).

Jessie brightened and gave a shrug of her own, "I like 'reading' dreams. I do it for myself, too. Dreams are windows into the subconscious; it helps to know what your own dreams mean. I usually remember mine when I wake up, so I can determine what they mean. Lately mine have been boring, though."

"She's been doing this for years," Sarah replied in an flat tone, and her eyes expressed she was just as put-off as Noah about the whole thing.

Yugi glanced at Noah, "Why don't you go ahead and tell them what you've seen, then? And what you've felt?"

"Cuz I _already_ feel like a nutcase?" Noah replied with high brows, "I'd rather _not_ confirm it?"

"C'mon, Noah, we've seen enough over the past week," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes, "You really believe we'd think you're crazy after everything–?"

He hesitated, but sighed, and looked to Jessie while he relaxed in the seat, "Okay…It starts out the same, usually just black and empty and I can hear shouts, but I never remember what they say or what they're from."

She gave a nod, and then motioned for him to continue.

"Normally, it's just in some kind of black abyss, but last night I was under water. There was this…" He searched the car roof for a word before settling, "This _thing_ a little ways away. Before it looked like some kind of demon animal, but last night it looked more human. And then it screams at me before it fires off this black lightning bolt that almost hits me, but I wake up before it does."

Jessie looked down in thought, humming to herself, "Well, I already said 'deep sea' can mean pressure. Though, if it's stemming off of a black abyss, it might more represent the unknown, and likely _fear_ of the unknown. I know that lightning in a dream represents anger and pain, especially if its striking something. It usually means the anger is directed at that thing in particular, whatever it's hitting."

"But what about the demon?" Noah asked, a bit tense.

She frowned and shrugged, "Well… _usually_ demons can represent a fear of some kind. But if yours has been changing, it's hard to pinpoint what exactly it's a fear of."

"A-Anything else?"

Jessie frowned, hesitating in answering, though Sarah also looked at her with concern. Eventually, Jessie sighed and gave a small nod, "Demons can represent death, too."

They pulled into the school parking lot, and Noah sighed as he faced forward.

Yugi gently pat his shoulder, offering a reassuring smile, "I think we've talked about it enough, for now…Besides, we're at school and you guys need to get into the mindset for it."

The girls nodded, and Noah offered a reluctant 'yeah, okay' before they got out. Before leaving, Noah leaned down to look at his father through the passenger window.

"Thanks for the ride, Dad," His eyebrows rose, "You said you were heading to work, right?"

"Yeah. I just have a few things to take care of first. Paperwork and all…"

Noah gave a nod, patting the car door, "Good luck, then. I-I'll see you later."

As he walked away with Jessie and Sarah, Yugi ran a hand through his hair, speaking to the steering wheel while giving a small cringe, "Probably sooner than you think, actually."

* * *

By the time they got to the classroom, there was a message written on the chalkboard: "New Teacher Today, Be Respectful!"

"Wow, it's been ages since we've had a new teacher," Sarah mused aloud, glancing at the other two, "Think it'll be a girl this time?"

Noah shrugged, "I just hope they don't believe in the whole 'punishment as a warning' thing. I was always scared to death to do something wrong at schools like that…"

"You mean they _had that_ at your old school?"

"No; they had that at my _middle_ school. At the _last_ high school I was at, the teachers hardly gave a care about you, whether you passed or failed _or_ caused a problem. It wasn't exactly any easier."

The two girls frowned, however the bell then rang and they went to sit. Noah still sat in the centermost seat, Jessie behind him, and then Sarah sat over by the window.

Noah propped his chin up on his hand as the superintendent came into the classroom first.

"I hope you all saw the note I left," She replied, an excited smile on her face, "I, for one, am _thrilled_ to have this new addition to the teaching staff. And I hope you all will greet the new teacher _warmly."_

She motioned to the door, "Please come in now?"

When they walked in, Noah's eyes widened sharply before his head briefly hit the desk from his hand slipping out from underneath his chin.

In walked Yugi, a warm smile on his face as he earned more than a few gasps from the entire class.

The superintendent grinned again, motioning to him, "As most of you have probably realized, this is Mr. Yugi Mutou, and he has come to the school to teach on a _temporary_ position. I hope you will all treat him respectfully, despite having a _celebrity_ among you."

She gave a nod to Yugi, shaking his hand vigorously (obviously still excited herself), before heading out of the classroom.

For a moment, everyone sat in silence as Yugi moved to lean back on his desk, first setting a few folders down before a light smirk sprouted on his face.

"All right," He said first, crossing his arms, "Bring it on—but one at a time, please, so that I can actually _answer_ all of you."

The first to get a question out was a girl to Noah's right, and she bounced in her seat, "Are you really truly Yugi Mutou? Not just someone who looks like him?"

"The genuine article. Though probably a bit older than most of you will remember."

A boy behind Jessie stood to ask his question, "Mr. Mutou, sir, where have you been all these years, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't mind at all, but you can just call me Yugi. I went on a business trip and on the ride back home, we shipwrecked," His tone became a bit monotonous, adding on the right amount of grimness, "No one else got off that boat except me…and I was trapped on a nearby island ever since."

There was a small blanket of quiet, but then another girl at the front looked to him gently, "Are you still into dueling like before–?"

"Of course; it was too big a part of my life to just forget it in the time I was away."

Then, finally, Yugi straightened as the blond in the center of the room stood and looked to him, a forced smile recognized on his face although his blue eyes still were widened in shock.

"Wh-What exactly are you doing _here,_ though–?" Noah questioned, trying to sound as respectful as possible for wanting to swear aloud in disbelief.

The smirk on Yugi's face grew, and he shrugged again, "Well, considering I've been away, I didn't see it fit to go back to the old desk job I had. Maybe at some point, but for now I felt I just needed to get used to being around people again. Since I'm a bit old to head back into school, and a bit too busy, I figured teaching at my old high school for a couple years or so would suffice."

This relaxed Noah just enough, and he slowly sat back down, but still stared at Yugi in shock the whole time.

More questions were asked afterwards, but by the time they all were answered, the class was about half over; Yugi let them all take a break, and Jessie started it by lightly smacking Noah on the arm.

"Why didn't you tell us?" She questioned with a pout.

He shrugged, "Oi, I didn't know either. I thought he was heading to his _old_ job? Like at an office and everything—I didn't know he meant he had a _new_ one."

Then he stood, heading up to the front desk and towards his father, who looked to be waiting for him.

"Surprise," Yugi replied while his brows rose.

Noah's brows knit into a small glare, "Surprise my—"

"At _school,_ Noah. Watch your mouth."

"Surprise my _behind_ , then. Why didn't you say anything in the car–?"

Yugi shrugged, offering a weak smile, "Frankly, I was worried about what you would think. I wasn't sure how embarrassed you would be to have your father teaching one of your subjects."

"Not embarrassed, actually, I was seriously _just_ surprised," Noah replied, before his shoulders fell and he frowned, "But—c-could you do me a solid and _not_ call me by last name at all?"

Yugi straightened, his brows knitting, "Why?"

"I-It's really nothing against you anymore, I swear, b-but…" A small blush came into Noah's cheeks, "I _hate_ that much attention; you _know_ everyone would bombard me with questions, too, and I-I'm just _so_ not comfortable with that kind of thing."

Yugi's expression softened a bit, and he gave a small nod, "Yeah, all right. I can understand not being used to the attention. I'm not one to bask in it, I just know I can't avoid it."

Then he shrugged, "I'll avoid a last name if I can, however I may need to address you by it at _some_ point for public courtesy."

"But you'll just call me Noah if you can?"

"Yes, I'll just call you Noah if I can."

Noah let his head drop for a moment, clasping his hands together, "Thank you…"

Yugi smirked, but then motioned to the desks, "C'mon, head back to your seat; I do need to actually _teach_ something today."

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Noah quite enjoyed having Yugi teach his class; history had never been his strong point, but the way his father recounted events and dates somehow made it easier for him to understand. He still wasn't fond of it, however at least he could recall things back a lot easier.

Yugi never had to address Noah by his last name, so he had yet to reveal to anyone that the two of them were related. [Though Noah knew it was only a matter of time.]

In the late afternoon, Jessie ended up coming over to Noah rather excitedly, dragging him along down the hallway to only-God-knew-where [not only did this attract many stares from other students, but somehow Noah was getting used to her pulling on his arm].

When they finally stopped, she directed his attention to a poster on the wall; specifically, it was a poster for a school Dueling competition, a small one, going on after classes that very day.

Noah straightened, looking to her, "Jessie, I-I don't think I can do it…"

"Aw, why not?" She replied, frowning before smiling again, "This would be a good chance to get into it again, and it _won't_ be a life-or-death situation."

Noah's brows arched, "Death-free _would_ be nice…"

"So, then, you'll try it?" She asked him hopefully.

He looked to her, and then looked back to the poster; if he was honest with himself, he did feel something stir in his heart, some kind of excitement at the idea of a competition. A part of him felt nervous, though, and it kept nagging at him.

Then he felt a small bit of vibration from the Puzzle over his chest; Atem silently encouraged him to enter.

He ended up sighing, shoulders slouching, " _Okay_ , okay—I'll do it…"

She gave a small squeal of delight, and then dragged him along once again to get him registered. The registry table sat in the library, and another senior along with one of the older teachers headed the table.

The teacher gave the two a smile, though kept his voice low since they were in the library, "Oh, hello—would you two like to enter the contest?"

Jessie smiled and nudged Noah forward, "Not me—just him."

Noah sighed, and the student slid a clipboard forward with a paper on it, about fifteen names on it, "Perfect; we needed one more duelist, anyway. If you could just sign with your name and room number, we'll be all set."

Noah went ahead and signed his name at the bottom, labeling the room, and then slid it back over.

The professor frowned gently, "Son, we need your _full_ name."

Noah's eyes widened, and he parroted, "F-Full name?"

"Well, yes. Your full name must be announced for the leaderboard—and it's school rules."

Noah pressed his lips into a frown, however Jessie gently elbowed him, whispering back "Go on, it'll be okay."

He sighed again, leaning down and whispering, almost at an inaudible level, his full name.

The professor's eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please?"

" _Noah Mutou,"_ Noah replied quickly and just a little louder.

A stone dropped into his stomach when both the student and the professor jumped and looked at Noah with wide eyes.

The teacher then removed his glasses, a small smile sprouting on his face, "Good Lord, are you really?"

Noah shuffled his feet in discomfort, flushing, "Y-Yessir…"

The student gave a quiet laugh of excitement, and the teacher wrote the full name down while his eyebrows rose, "Well, this _will_ be an exciting competition, then."

"Your father is really Yugi Mutou, then–?" The student questioned, "You're not pulling our legs?"

Noah gave another nod, "Yes, he-uh…just came home, about a week ago. H-He was…in an accident, that my mom and I thought he hadn't made it out. But it's true."

Another chuckle escaped the student, but then he cleared his throat and looked back to Noah, "Oh-uh—what kind of deck will you be using?"

This part did peak Noah's interest, and his brows knit together in intrigue, "Can we use homemade decks?"

"Yes, but they have to be tournament legal."

A small smile came onto Noah's face, and he gave a small nod, "I'll be using a homemade deck, then."

The teacher wrote this down as well, and then the two looked up at Noah with small smiles, "The competition starts right after the last class of the day—just come by here to check in, and then the entire group of competitors will head out to the gym."

Noah nodded, and then the two of them headed out.

"Homemade deck?" Jessie questioned Noah once they were walking.

"Well, most people will start out with a structure deck that are pre-arranged," Noah replied, a small smile still on his face, "But I've arranged my own deck, recently, mixing different structure decks."

When he looked forward again, Jessie took closer inspection of his face; the small smile steadily grew, and there was a kind of fiery passion in his eyes that the girl only ever saw in her father's before he was to head out to the dueling platform.

"Are you _excited_ …?" She questioned with a small smile of her own.

Noah gave a nod, not bothering to argue, "Yeah. I really am."

They had to head back to their classroom, but for the rest of the day, Noah was mentally running through his deck and trying to piece together strategies with his old cards. It had still been quite some time since he actually dueled, at least in front of so many people, but at the same time, he felt much more confident about it since he'd be using his own deck (and his life _wouldn't_ be at risk).

" _I'm a bit amused that you're thinking about it this much,"_ Noah heard at the back of his mind during the last class, while they were reading to themselves.

Noah was relieved Atem's sudden comments no longer surprised him, and he kept looking to the page so that no one would get suspicious, _'Are you_ _ **really**_ _all that surprised…?'_

" _Somewhat, yes, considering past events. But I'm glad you're excited for it."_

' _Well…More than_ _ **just**_ _'excited', honestly…'_

Then a small frown, albeit subtle, formed over Noah's forehead; to onlookers, it simply looked like he was having difficulty understanding a part of the chapter.

' _Atem…what if something happens again? Dueling against Olivia was one thing, but the last I really dueled in front of people, nothing was at stake_ _ **then**_ _, either.'_

" _Noah, you don't have to worry about that. I don't know what caused you to pass out before, but lightning never strikes the same place twice."_

Noah still frowned, though, looking down at the desk instead of the book.

" _If you're really that worried, though, I can take over if anything happens."_

This time, Noah jumped a little, though tried to keep it as less-noticeable as possible.

' _You're serious–? This is just kid stuff, not a world championship.'_

" _The difficulty of the duel does_ _ **not**_ _matter to me, Noah. If you somehow end up endangered during one of the duels, I can step in while keeping your appearance to prevent anything from happening."_

This did give Noah a bit of relief, shoulders relaxing, and a weak smile came onto his face while he went back to reading.

' _Thanks, Atem…'_

It was quiet for the rest of the time, until the final bell rang. Another surge of excitement ran through Noah, and he immediately booked it after his last class over to the library.

He ended up bumping into Yugi on the way there, and his father looked after him when Noah only got out a quick apology and hurried on, "Hey!—Noah, where are you _going_ –?"

Noah turned back, still walking backwards down the hall, "I'm late! I've gotta get to the library, or I'll be disqualified!"

Yugi's eyes widened, "Disqualified from _what?"_

A smirk came onto his son's face, "A Dueling competition!"

Then he turned around and continued on, Yugi's jaw having dropped ever so slightly; he parroted the words to himself, but then blinked a couple of times and straightened his jacket.

" _This_ I have to see…" He mumbled to himself, heading in the same direction as Noah.

* * *

Noah had been fully expecting a lot of people in the gym for the small competition; what he had _not_ been expecting was the stands to be completely packed, plus some crowded around the actual dueling platforms.

" _Why are there so_ _ **many**_ _…!?"_ He said to himself in a small panic, peeking between the crack in the ajar double doors.

He felt Atem's presence nearby, and he offered a small shrug, _"They all wish to see your debut."_

"What 'debut'? This is just a school gig–!"

" _Noah, by this point, everyone will have known Yugi was back, and thanks to the leaderboard, they know you're his son. Seeing the son of a Dueling Legend getting into the family game is a big deal."_

Noah gave a small huff, leaning back against the wall and looking to Atem, glad they were alone in the hallway, "Great. That's gonna make it even better if I pass out again."

" _You_ _ **won't**_ _pass out again, remember?"_ Atem replied with a frown, _"If anything happens, I'll take over to make sure no one knows anything. Besides, I doubt anyone expects you to be perfect right off the bat."_

Noah gave him a light glare, "Bullshit. You know everyone is expecting _exactly_ that. They don't know what I've been through."

Atem caught his breath, but then sighed, and looked to Noah with a light glare of his own, _"Do you_ _ **want**_ _to do this…?"_

Hesitantly, Noah shrugged, "Well…yeah."

" _Do you think your name has any effect on your talent?"_

"No…"

" _And do you think Yugi would expect you to be absolutely perfect at this after having not played for years?"_ Atem finally asked him in a knowing tone.

Noah sighed, standing up from leaning against the wall, "No, he wouldn't…He'd tell me to do my best and not to be nervous because I wouldn't be up there to impress anyone, I'd be up there because I love dueling."

Atem smiled and gave a nod, _"Exactly."_

Noah managed a small smile, and then took a deep breath before slowly exhaling it.

A buzzing sound was made outside in the gym, and Noah gave a firm nod, "All right…Here we go."

He felt Atem's presence fade, and he stood strong before the doors, waiting for his name to be announced.

* * *

The tournament moved along swiftly and with adrenaline filling the air; once all the duelists had been matched up for the first round, Yugi tried to get near enough to the stage, waiting for Noah to come up.

On the first match, Noah went up against a freshman girl who was using a Light-type Structure deck. Before starting the match, though, Noah caught his father's eye; Yugi smiled and gave a firm nod, and that was all Noah needed for any last bits of anxiety to drain away.

As the duels went on, Atem made sure to keep back so Noah could concentrate, but paid close attention to Noah's strategy as well, in case he really _did_ need to step in. However, he was a bit surprised when he finally recognized the style Noah used.

Chain reaction. And the technique in which it was carried out with was _devastating_.

Noah left absolutely no outs for the opponent; once they had activated a trap or monster effect, the rest of the combo would play out with no negation or break in flow until the duel was done. It shouldn't have been surprising that Noah was able to pull off such a strategy, but Atem was more shocked that Noah had been so nervous. He was a natural, just like his father, and just as Atem had expected.

It wasn't until the final matchup that the problem arose.

Noah had made it all the way to the finals, completely relaxed at this point. His final opponent was another senior male, Kenji, who was very competitive, but also fairly nice. He sat at the front in Noah's classes; he even joked before their match that he should've recognized Noah from his spiky hair.

The two wished each other luck, and they headed up to their spots on the dueling platforms. Their disks were charged, the holographic projectors were activated, and the duel began.

It went through smoothly through the first half, the crowd elated and both males were entirely focused.

Near the end, after Kenji had finally triggered the chain reaction, Noah was feeling the small chill in his shoulder again. His hands shook a bit as he summoned out his monster, and it suddenly felt hard to breathe.

' _No…! Not again, please…!'_ He momentarily panicked, a hand pressing over his heart. The crowd began murmuring when he abruptly stopped in the midst of his move.

Kenji tried to call to the duel referee across the way when he saw the same, "Hey!—We need to stop the Duel, something's wrong!"

" _No!"_

He looked across the way again after Noah gave a small shout back; he panted lightly, and he looked to be in pain, but he kept a determined gaze on his face.

"I-I'll be fine!" He tried to reassure across the way, "Let's finish the duel!"

Kenji didn't look keen on the idea, but he kept from objecting again; he would rather have finished the duel as well.

So, Noah went on with his move, activating a spell card after having summoned his monster, which ended up strengthening his monster's attack and defense. At the same time, it sent another chill through him from his shoulder; he started to feel very hot afterwards, growing more uncomfortable as it went on. It almost felt like he was having a heat stroke.

" _Noah, stop!"_ Atem finally made himself known, sensing the internal imbalance, _"There's something wrong, you need to stop the duel!"_

' _No!'_ Came a sharp reply, and Noah clenched his jaw as his hands shook, _'I'm not quitting this duel! I'm_ _ **fine**_ _!'_

From the crowd, nearby Noah's platform, Yugi also saw he was in pain; his brows knit.

Noah negated one of Kenji's trap cards with one of his own, and then went forward with his final attack; just as the attack went through, and Kenji's life points fell to zero, Noah's knees gave out beneath him. Heat surged through him instead of the chill from earlier, and his head swam as he collapsed limply to the ground.

The next he saw was black, and for quite some time, he remained unconscious, a loud ringing in his ears. He didn't hear Atem, and he didn't feel anything physically either, like his nerves had been severed.

* * *

It was a strange dream, very realistic, but not the same abyss like it had been every other time he'd been unconscious.

Noah saw himself, huddled in a fetal position on the ground in some kind of white room, though it looked an awful lot like vines were beginning to grow over him and cover him. But then, rather abruptly, the vines split apart like a cocoon, and blue-tinged wings sprouted behind him. They looked dragon-like, but were translucent and almost shimmering like the surface of clear water.

Too quickly, shadows then engulfed the room and circled him, seeming to swallow him, and the faint, glowing wings were suddenly ripped away.

Black vines struck his body and took root under his skin, his body contorting painfully as the dark energy and shadows poisoned his being once more. His blue eyes gradually changed to red, like blood was staining the fibers of his irises.

* * *

Light blinded Noah as his eyes snapped open; for a moment, he felt disoriented, and he couldn't see properly. Things almost moved in slow-motion.

Then a hand came over his forehead, and moved over his eyes, and he just barely heard someone tell him not to open them yet. He went ahead and closed them, though the resulting pain that came from doing so almost made him want to open them again.

But the pain died off eventually, and the tremble he realized he had also stopped soon after. The hand moved away from his eyes, and he tried to open them again.

His vision was clear this time, or at least not quite so bright, and he found it easier to breathe; whatever had happened earlier, it seemed like it had stopped just as abruptly as it had happened.

"Noah…?"

A gentle call caught his attention, and he felt a hand over his forehead again. He groaned lightly, trying to turn his head to look over. Movement felt like a foreign concept at the moment.

Yugi looked to Noah with narrowed eyes, a small frown over his forehead. It looked like they were back home, in the living room. Noah lay on the couch, and Yugi sat on the coffee table next to him. Téa didn't seem to be there, but Yugi had the phone near him.

Noah tried to say something, but the words got caught in his throat; air passing through his throat made it feel raw and scratchy and he coughed in response [though this only made the feeling worse].

His father gently shushed him in response, speaking quietly afterwards, "You passed out at the end of the match. You wouldn't wake up, but I managed to convince the nurse I could just take you home. I brought you to the house with Jessie and Sarah's help, and once they left and we were away from people, you started screaming."

Noah's eyes widened a little. So far, he'd only ever twitched, mumbled, and spoke a little in his sleep. But _scream?_

"It was…pretty bad…" Yugi replied in response to his shock, voice quieting even more, "You were thrashing so much that I had to hold onto you to make sure you didn't hurt yourself…"

He sighed, before he ran a hand through Noah's hair, "When you opened your eyes the first time, th-they were black and red…"

Noah was startled, remembering that was what he saw in his dream.

"Noah, what happened…?" Yugi then asked with a small glare, though his voice remained soft, "Why didn't you stop the duel? You _had_ to have felt something was wrong."

Noah frowned lightly, though his eyes grew confused, and he looked off before finally trying to speak again.

"I-I don't know…" His voice was quiet, and a bit squeak-like from nearly being lost, "I-I just…I-I felt…like I c-couldn't stop…I _had_ to go on…"

Then Noah jumped, looking to his father in a panic, "I-I can't hear Atem—I-I didn't hear him at all before, _wh-why can't I hear him now–!?"_

"Ssh…" Yugi hushed him first, making sure Noah was relaxed against the cushions again before responding, "He took over shortly after you passed out, as I was getting you to the car, but he only could for a moment. He was only able to say something about a power being over-exerted, and that he was trying to fend off something as best he could. I'm not entirely sure what he meant, but he must've used a lot of his own energy to help you. You probably can't hear him cuz he might still be asleep himself."

This relaxed Noah a little, and his neck finally relaxed as well, and then Yugi looked to him intently, "I think you need more rest…"

Noah looked up at him fearfully, conveying that the idea of sleeping did not sound well-advised at the moment.

"I'll be right here by you," Yugi reassured, hand still running through Noah's hair, "I've called your mom already to let her know what happened, and she'll be home soon, too."

Noah still didn't look all that reassured; Yugi frowned a bit more, and then moved down to be able to embrace him properly. Noah melted into it, returning it (although moving still felt strange), and broke down again, silently crying. He shook all over, and his father gently tried to coax him to sleep again.

After quite some time, Yugi didn't feel Noah shaking anymore, and he gently laid him back down to find him asleep again. He sighed in relief, and then put a blanket over Noah so that he was a bit more comfortable.

He sat by him again, watching him to make sure he _stayed_ all right.

* * *

The feeling of grass brushing against his cheek was what first woke Noah; he was a bit confused by the sudden texture when he had just been lying on the couch in the living room. He opened his eyes, finding a blue sky and green grass and peonies and gladiolus all around him; his Soul Room.

Noah tried to get himself up; he knew he wouldn't have been brought there without a reason, at least as far as he knew. He was able to get himself into a sitting position, but he still felt rather disoriented and exhausted.

Just a few feet away, though, he saw Atem, comfortably asleep on his side in the grass; he didn't look to be in pain, and he didn't look injured otherwise. Noah sighed with relief, going over [having to crawl to move since he still felt numb] and sat by Atem.

His voice still felt quiet, but at least his throat didn't hurt, "Atem…?"

He put a hand gently to Atem's shoulder. Atem's eyes split open, fluttering open wider, before turning to look at him. A weak smile came onto his face; he looked fairly exhausted himself.

"I'm glad you're all right…" He mumbled, moving to lie on his back, passing a hand over his face.

Noah sighed and laid next to him, glad to be lying down again; he felt a bit sick still, and Atem sounded just as tired as he felt.

"What the hell happened…?" Noah got out in more of a grumble than he had intended.

Atem sighed himself, looking up at the empty sky, "An onslaught, frankly…Zorc tried to attack you again. That and there was _something_ from the duel that was causing a power to be exerted."

His eyes narrowed and he looked to Noah, "And the power wasn't mine, Noah. Somehow, it was coming from _you_ , and it was triggered by your dueling."

Noah's brows knit, "No offense, but I've never had or tried using any of that freaky Egyptian magic."

"Noah, this isn't a guess—I _know_ it came from you. It provided a bit of protection from Zorc's attack, but it attracted it as well. It's very strange magic."

"B-But it just _couldn't_ have come from me—I-I mean, I-I'm not a pharaoh like you are, I wasn't raised to know what magic was—"

"You don't have to be raised knowing what it is, Noah. It seems like you were born with it. After all, you first summoned back my spirit at a _very_ young age; it only makes sense that you would still retain some bit of that power now, maybe something even stronger from being older. I told you—some kind of power was awakened in you. We have no idea what form it'll take."

Noah sighed, looking up at the sky with worry, "You said it was strange magic, though. What kind of 'strange' are we talkin' about?"

"Just as I said; it protected you from Zorc's attack after I couldn't any more, but it was a kind of homing beacon for him as well. He knew exactly where to attack you, he just couldn't touch it. It's strange because this magic protected you, yet caused the attack in the first place."

"And it was triggered through my dueling…?"

Atem nearly answered him, but stopped when he recognized the tone of defeat. Noah looked off with saddened eyes.

Atem frowned gently, "Yes…It was."

He looked off before sighing again, "I'm sorry, Noah…I know how you were just growing to enjoy it again…"

For a moment afterwards, it was quiet between them, until Noah took in a deep breath.

"You know…I think I still do."

Atem jumped and looked back to Noah in surprise, and Noah hesitated before his eyebrows rose, "I-I could feel something was off in that duel, but…it almost felt like something was preventing me from stopping the duel. Something in me refused to just give up the match to what was happening, even if I didn't feel right."

A weak smirk grew on his face, "I think…I was almost _competitive_ about it. The idea of losing just made my insides twist. I just…got really angry about it, I guess."

Then he sighed and looked to Atem, "So I fell again," He shrugged, "I can get over it now, and stand back up. I couldn't before, but now I can. I have _you_ to thank for that."

Atem arched a brow, "Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, _you_ were the one who was saying I just had to duel again to get over my fear. Turns out you were right," He looked up at the sky, "You taught me not to give up or give in."

Atem smiled weakly again, positioning his head upright again and gently closing his eyes.

Noah's brows knit as he thought, "Y-You know…I-I had…another weird dream before I woke up this time…I-It was almost like I was encased in ice, but then it shattered and I had these wings…they looked really pretty…but then…dark energy started to take me and they were torn away…and Dad said my eyes were black and red when I opened them…D-Do you think that—"

He stopped in the midst of the question, having looked back over to Atem, to see was unconscious again, peacefully asleep.

Noah frowned gently, but then looked away and closed his eyes himself, a soft exhale escaping him through the nose.

To be honest, he didn't really _want_ to know what that nightmare meant, anyway.


	15. Part 15

The Sunday following was filled with stale air, and Noah didn't move from his bed until the early afternoon. Actually, he'd laid awake for a few hours before finally sitting up, drawing his knees up to his chest.

If he had to pinpoint what was wrong, outwardly he could blame it on his recurring nightmare again, how it was starting to wear on him, and how it really _was_ beginning to worry him. (He recalled his father's words about taking the nightmare more seriously.)

Internally, he knew his fatigue and the heavy air around him was another relapse, no doubt spurred on by what had happened the day before; the extra dream he'd had after Zorc's attack still frightened him. He could feel ghost-like pain on his back, as if there were still lacerations in his flesh.

He wished he felt close and comfortable enough with with someone—anyone—to talk to, but he kept it locked up tight in his mind, to where he wouldn't feel compelled to tell Yugi and where Atem couldn't sneak a peek out of concern. It was easier that way.

Noah got himself up after lying there, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas before going downstairs. Being a Sunday, he figured his mother and father would be downstairs already.

However, the house was empty and quiet. It was a grimly familiar sight for him, a shudder crawling down his spine. He saw a note on the front door, written in his father's scrawl:

' _Your mother went to the store, and I went to go talk with Kaiba for a bit. I promise to be back soon. - Dad_

 _P.S._ _Don't leave the house_ _!'_

Some small part of Noah snapped.

A small tremble crept through him; he stared at the note for a moment, breathing heavily, before crunching the note up in his hands. He did so for a full minute before tossing it to the floor, completely silent and breathing haphazardly. After he had, he stared at the ground, and it almost felt like an uncomfortable heat stung his shoulder.

' _You're all alone again…'_ A voice whispered to him, dark and chill-inducing, but all too loud, _'They've left you all on your own again, to fend for yourself…they're ignoring you again…'_

"Shut up!—"

The words flew from Noah's mouth before he could stop them, and he turned away from where it felt like the whisper was coming from; he'd first covered his ears, but then closed his eyes and covered his mouth, breathing through his fingers as he remembered that there wasn't anyone else there.

' _What a child…'_ The voice mocked at him, _'So quiet suddenly, moving to the back of the room to disappear into the shadows…the very shadows you feared became your friends…'_

A placidness came into Noah's face. He looked to the wall, but it felt like his vision was growing darker.

' _Why so serious…? Why fight against old friends…? These strangers come into your life…the father who neglected and abandoned you, the spirit of a king who claims to be your friend yet ruins what you already set as beliefs…'_

His hands clenched into fists.

' _Why not just come back to the shadows…? Why not return to your old friends…?'_

" _ **Noah**_ _!"_

A terse gasp escaped Noah, and he swerved before jumping back, soon slipping and falling back to the floor, scooting back behind the couch and drawing his knees up.

Atem, though translucent ( it almost looked like his form was a lot less tangible than usual), looked down at Noah, his eyes slightly wide, though his brows were furrowed. Noah stared up at him in surprise and shock for too long before he looked down and away, bangs hiding his eyes from sight.

Atem frowned, and he sat on his legs a foot away from Noah, _"Noah…Please, look at me?"_

There was no falter in Noah's stance, and he didn't raise his gaze at all. Atem took in a deep breath anyway, looking to him gently.

" _I can't help if you won't talk to me…"_ He replied gently, _"I am_ _ **not**_ _your enemy, Noah. I just want to help."_

In an abrupt movement, Noah stood, and moved back towards the stairs; Atem jumped at the sudden move, but watched after him and followed him, his presence still keeping up with Noah's person.

Noah quickly changed upon reaching his room, moving restlessly and shakily as he did so.

Atem watched him do so quietly, until he sighed and risked speaking again as Noah was pulling on shoes, _"Noah, what're you doing?"_

On reflex, Noah put the Puzzle around his neck, but then went out of the room, down the stairs and over to the garage.

Atem's eyes widened, still following after him, _"Wait—where're you going–!? Noah, you_ _ **can't**_ _go out, remember, you're—"_

Noah swerved around upon reaching the garage door, turning about to face Atem, and his words came to a halt. Atem was stunned to see a look of desperation, feeling the fear practically _radiating_ from Noah's being, and the gaze of apology etched into his face.

"I'm sorry," Noah said quietly, shaking his head.

Atem jumped again, but then Noah took off the Puzzle abruptly, setting it on the work-desk next to him; the abruptness of the break in connection and the way Noah shut Atem out of his mind made his presence shrink away, keeping it bound to the Puzzle.

Noah hesitated for only a moment before going over to his old bike, and he rode off after closing the garage door.

From the desk, the Puzzle gave off flashes of white and gold, repeatedly and in quick succession.

* * *

For some time, Noah just rode and rode, at top speed on the outskirts of the city, unable to control the slight hyperventilation and shake in his hands. He moved with the momentum once he had it.

When he was by the pier, close to the edge, he stopped at last to catch his breath, and leaned over the handlebars, still breathing quickly. He couldn't help it; he had to run. He had to get away, at least for a little while. He felt so afraid for his life, and the earlier whispers and dark thoughts that he could even _feel_ weren't his own didn't help.

Noah knew Atem had only been wanting to help. But it wasn't help he could take, not now. He didn't _want_ 'help.' He didn't want any of this, any of the 'magic', the 'family history'—he didn't want any part of it. He wanted to be someone else, _anyone_ else besides himself. _Anyone_ besides Noah Solomon Mutou. In fact, he wouldn't have minded not being 'there' at all.

And at that he grew numb, gazing over the pier's edge at the water, and the next few moments ran on in slow-motion, vague and short-term in his memory.

There were sirens, he knew that; but he felt compelled to run again from the loud noise, so he biked onward, just in case. Except, the car pulled in front of him, stopping him. The police officer in the car was asking him questions, but he didn't recall answering them.

The next thing he knew, he was in the back of the car, hands cuffed behind his back, and the officer was still reading off his 'rights' in a legal-sounding tone.

* * *

Yugi was the first back to the house.

He had tried to be quick in going to talk to Seto, wanting to be back home with Noah as soon as possible. His son's state of mind worried him, and he _did_ make note how long Noah had slept before he left. He hoped he would be awake by _now_ , seeing how late it was, but also hoped he could at least talk to Noah about what was bothering him.

Except, when he walked into the house, he found it empty-feeling, and cold; after checking upstairs, Yugi grew the slightest bit panicked, seeing Noah nowhere in the house and seeing Téa not yet home either.

It wasn't until he checked out in the garage, and saw the Millennium Puzzle urgently flashing white and gold on the work desk that his panic _fully_ set in.

" _I'm gonna kill him–!"_ He grabbed the Puzzle by the chain, and then rushed back inside the house to make a couple calls before heading out on foot to look for Noah himself.

* * *

By the time the numbness wore off Noah's mind, he found himself sitting in a holding cell, in some building in Domino; he never knew exactly where the police station was in the city. He could try saying that this was a misunderstanding, that he _wasn't_ the one who committed crimes like theft and trespassing, but with no physical proof, he might've just come off as the lunatic he was believing himself to be.

' _I should've just stayed home…'_ He chastised himself as he sat against the wall, letting his head fall back against it with a dull thud.

It was then that he could feel a sudden chill over the cell; it made him straighten, also feeling an overwhelming sense of dread. The strange beat of his heart jumping into his throat and falling into his stomach made his shoulders rigid. He lifted his head, surprised he could even feel it without the Puzzle near him.

" _Well, well, look who we have here…!"_

Noah shot up onto his feet, startled by the voice, only to look across the way, to the one window in the cell, to see the 'reflections' in of the room. They had abruptly disappeared, only a dark haze present, but from there, two figures came into the room from the haze.

What was startling was that the two figures were Jet and Kevin. Except they looked even less human than before, eyes lacking an iris and pupil and were blank white instead.

" _Look where bein' a 'good boy' got ya,"_ They said in unison. Even their voices sounded distorted and strange.

Noah's eyes widened, and he stood up, backing up and away to come up against the wall, "Wh-What are you? Y-You're not—"

" _Such power and darkness, you can manifest your own fears…"_ They replied, _"Who'd have thought such a weak thing to be so powerful…?"_

"Get away from me!" Noah tried to move towards the bars, only to find them locked and stuck, not even budging an inch at his shoves. Even after ramming them with his shoulder, the door to the cell didn't budge.

" _Such a scared little boy…"_

Noah looked back, and, though he was shaking all over, he glared at them and tried to keep a bit of nerve, "I-I don't know what you are, and I don't know you!—But I'm _not_ afraid of you!"

" _Lies…"_ They shook their heads, the white walls in the room suddenly darkening as the light bulb abruptly fizzled out overhead, _"You're lying to your old friends…always been afraid of the dark, haven't you…?"_

Any courage Noah had was quickly dwindling away; he moved around the room, quite nearly feeling suffocated from the overwhelming stench of death and his chest tightening in fear.

He could feel his blood pounding in his head in time with his quickening heartbeat, "Leave me _alone_ –!"

" _Come with us, your old friends…"_ Darkness began covering the room. Noah tripped over his feet, starting to feel numb again, while he felt the heat leaving his body, _"Come with us, into the shadows…"_

Noah's vision was darkening. He hyperventilated heavily, head feeling light but still pounding painfully while the forms of Jet and Kevin melted away to show black, ash-like beings, shadows of souls creeping up to him.

And then they lunged for him, and his vision fell to black.

He couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't feel. And he didn't recall closing his eyes. In fact, he could hardly recall anything, memories very quickly fading away as all the feeling in his body disappeared.

But there was a faint wind in the black abyss.

Noah felt cold and numb, but it almost felt like a white spot was glowing before him in the emptiness. The wind was someone calling for him, voice trying to reach Noah's mind before it was too far gone, shredded and lost to the shadows.

" _ **Noah**_ _!"_

The shadows and darkness started to shrink back and away from a sudden light; Noah felt a tug on his hand. He could see a bright red thread that hadn't been visible before tied to one of his fingers, and it led to something in the bright light that was steadily getting closer to him.

" _Noah! Noah, wake up!"_

Noah's eyes, though half-lidded and near-blinded by the dark energy, could vaguely make out someone reaching out to him.

And it was that hand reaching for him that the red string connected him to. The string was knotted (reattached) in some places, but extremely strong in others.

" _Noah! Noah, wake_ _ **up**_ _! Take my hand and_ _ **wake up**_ _!"_

For a moment, Noah thought the shape was his father; it looked an awful lot like him. But the voice was a bit too strong, deep and intent, for it to be Yugi.

He reached up a hand, just a little, but it felt like such an effort to do; it felt like his body weighed five hundred pounds. His hand shook terribly.

"I…can't…"

But then the other reached forward enough to grab Noah's hand; he was startled when he could feel the touch.

" _I'm not going to let you go!—Not like this!"_

Noah's eyes opened a bit wider, and the darkness was shrinking away even more; he squinted into the light, now able to recognize the face of who held onto him.

Atem's face was tense, afraid, but a determined glare laid upon it while he reached through the darkness; vaguely, Noah could see another red string, on Atem's opposite hand, tying his soul to someone else's along _with_ Noah's.

" _Noah, wake up!"_ He said again, _"You need to wake up!_ _ **Wake up**_ _!"_

And then a rush of warmth came into Noah's being; he gasped for air, blinded by white light as the dark energy and shadows screeched and disappeared from around him. His skin felt clammy and he felt sore all over, though it didn't look like he'd moved at all.

This time, when his vision sharpened, it really _was_ his father's face he saw above him, and he felt a small weight on his chest. The Puzzle.

"Noah–!" Yugi tried to call to him, eyes wide in panic as he looked over Noah's face, "Noah, can you hear me–!?"

' _Yes, I can.'_ But for some reason, Noah's throat felt dry and tight, and he couldn't speak. But he tried to give a nod; this didn't work either. His muscles felt heavy and it hurt to move.

Then he was starting to lose focus; his hearing felt muffled, and his vision was fuzzing.

' _No, I'm okay…I-I'm okay now…!'_ He almost felt like crying, from the combination of the pain in his limbs as well as the fear still making his heart beat too fast.

But then it seemed he was lifted onto something—a stretcher, maybe. Yugi stayed right by him, looking over him. He could see Noah's attempts at communication, but it didn't seem to Noah that he had said anything coherent yet. He moved his eyes, though, frantically, even if they felt dry and stung; he could move his eyes, and he could feel himself breathe quickly. He wasn't dead, not yet anyway.

Somewhere down the line, Noah was at the hospital, in intensive care, left alone in the cold room with his father for a few moments. Despite the hospital gown, the Puzzle remained around his neck, and he could feel warmth from it. He felt sick, like he had a severe flu that made him feverish and cold at the same time, as well as nauseous.

When his lids felt heavy again, a pair of hands fell to his cheeks, and he saw Yugi over him.

"Don't sleep yet," Yugi replied in a small whisper, "I know you want to. But you can't yet, okay? Keep your eyes open."

It felt hard to do. But Noah finally could move enough to where he nodded, and he tried to reach a hand up to Yugi, at least to reassure him he was okay to an extent. (Though this didn't result in much more than his hand twitching.)

Yugi smiled faintly, taking Noah's hand while he sat on the bed; the temperature clash startled Noah a bit, but he kept his eyes on his father, to have something to focus on, to look at, so that his lids wouldn't fall again. He wondered, though, what Yugi was waiting for. He could feel something stirring within him, but it was hard to determine what it was.

Then a bright glow emitted from the Puzzle, disappearing as quickly as it came.

Whatever sickness Noah had been feeling, it left him entirely within a split second, and he took in another gasp of air, before breathing heavily.

Yugi gave a sigh of relief when he did, and smiled as he put his free hand to Noah's cheek again.

"Feel better…?" He asked quietly.

It took a moment, but Noah gave a small nod, the action no longer difficult, or at least not as much.

"Y-Yeah…A-A little," He got out, quietly, and it almost sounded like he was losing his voice, "Wh-What…What happened…?"

Yugi frowned at that, and took a deep breath before answering him, "Atem…said that something triggered the dark energy that's in you. He thought it was leftover from when Zorc imprisoned your heart, and tried to corrupt you, but he said it doesn't look like it. He doesn't know _what_ it's from; but it was overwhelming you, since it was so much at once."

"W-Wait… _Atem_ told you this? But—I-I was in, in control th-the whole time, r-right?" Unless he'd been hallucinating through part of it, which he would've fully believed.

"Actually, no, he-uh…He…didn't take over at all," Yugi answered, slowly and hesitantly.

Then he looked to the Puzzle sitting on Noah's chest, "I guess…the Millennium Puzzle still connects Atem and I. I found the Puzzle at home and…shortly after I held it, I could hear him panicking, that he could feel you were slipping."

At that, Noah looked off with a bit of shame filling his eyes, his brows furrowing.

Yugi was quiet for a moment, but when his son didn't reply, he spoke softly, running a hand through Noah's hair, "Noah, what _happened_ …?"

Noah didn't respond right away, but then he finally looked back to Yugi, "I just…I-I just felt…so _overwhelmed_ …I-I just, I needed to run…I-I needed to get away…I think I almost biked myself all the way into the ocean, I wasn't paying attention, don't know if I really cared one way or the other if I fell in…"

Yugi jumped at this, eyes wide; Noah fell silent again, looking down and away once more. His hands weakly clutched at the blanket over him.

After a moment, Yugi frowned, "And how do you feel _now_ …?"

Noah didn't reply, instead letting his eyes narrow. When nothing was said, Yugi's brows furrowed, but then he motioned for Noah to sit up. Noah tensed, but slowly (carefully) sat up with Yugi's assistance; his vision swam just a little, but it quickly faded.

Once he was sitting up, Yugi embraced him tightly, making Noah straighten in surprise. It was silent, despite Noah's obvious discomfort.

He looked on in surprise for a moment, returning the embrace in the midst of his stun.

When he remained rigid, Yugi frowned, rubbing small circles into Noah's back before cupping the back of his head, voice barely audible, "I have you…It's okay, I gotcha…"

Something snapped, and Noah fell limp. Any willpower shattered, and he shrunk into Yugi's hold, broken sobs and uneven gasps tearing from his throat. Yugi kept tight hold of him, trying to take a deep breath (for Noah's sake) when Noah tightened his hold.

It was only after a solid fifteen minutes that Noah had begun to calm to small hiccups; at that, Yugi drew back, very gently cupping Noah's flushed cheeks.

"I can't begin to imagine what you're feeling," Yugi replied softly, earnest as he frowned, "I'm not going to pretend I understand when I don't. But I want to. I want to know what you've been through, to help fix at least a little of what I started. And I'm sorry that I did."

Noah's eyes narrowed before he hugged Yugi tightly again, and it was quiet for a minute afterwards.

"I-I'm—sorry," Noah got out in a small hiccup at one point.

Yugi drew back again, shushing him and giving a small shake of his head, "No. Don't apologize for this. Feeling like this doesn't make you abnormal, and it doesn't mean you're 'broken.' You've just been through more than the average person."

A weak smile grew on Yugi's face, "If anything, this is a new beginning for you."

Noah couldn't help another sob, bowing his head to lean it on Yugi's shoulder, "I-I just…I-I don't know where to _start_ , wh-what…wh-what I can _do_ …"

"You don't have to do it by yourself," Yugi reminded, hugging Noah again, "And next time, you can grab the phone, or the Puzzle. I _always_ have my phone on me, and if you just want me to listen, I will. And you know Atem will only want to help you."

Noah hesitated, but then nodded, and drew back again. Yugi's eyes grew stern, though his expression remained gentle, "You know…you have a responsibility to Atem in staying alive as well…?"

Noah jumped, barely arching a brow.

Yugi gave a small nod, hesitating before replying, "Atem's soul is connected to yours, since you summoned him back. If you die, so does he; his spirit would return to the afterlife…probably forever, at that point."

This made Noah's eyes widen sharply, "I-I…I-I didn't know that…!"

Yugi gave a small shrug, "It was found to not be worth mentioning. Besides, I know Atem—he probably didn't want to tell you because he was worried it would put more pressure on you."

Noah frowned, sighing as he tilted his head down, letting it fall to Yugi's shoulder again, "I-I don't _want_ any of this…Wh-Why does it have to be _me…?"_

"Family legacy, unfortunately," Yugi replied, frowning himself before running a hand through Noah's hair, "But it's a lot easier to manage it when you share the load."

"But I-I don't want to burden anyone else with it…"

"It isn't _burdening_ anyone, Noah. I've been where you're at to a certain extent, more than once; your mother and Joey and everyone else has been watching out for you, Atem has been protecting you for some time now, and Jessie and Sarah have already expressed their care for your well-being. We all want to help you, to be there with you."

Yugi carefully drew Noah back, bringing his head up, "But we can't be, if you won't let us."

Noah's eyes stung again, but it looked like there was a bit more acceptance in his gaze this time, especially now that his mind was a bit clearer.

"Okay…" He finally said, corners of his mouth twitching into the tiniest of smiles.

Yugi offered a weak smile himself, and then his brows rose, "Everyone's waiting outside, you know."

"E-Everyone?"

"Yeah."

Noah's cheeks flushed, head tilting down, "I-I…really freaked you guys out, didn't I…?"

"Actually 'sent into frenzied panic' is probably a bit more accurate."

Then Yugi gently knocked his forehead against Noah's, and smiled weakly, "I'll tell everyone else you're okay. You'll probably get that bombardment in the next few minutes, but I think there's someone _else_ you need to talk to, _first."_

He had gently tapped the top of the Puzzle. Noah straightened, but then sighed and nodded in agreement.

Yugi got up and headed out, while Noah bowed his head, gently closing his eyes.

It took a moment, but then Noah spoke softly to the air, keeping his head down and his eyes closed, "I'm…I'm sorry…I-I…I should've just talked to you…I-I didn't even consider exactly how tied to me you really were…I was only thinking about how this affected me, but not how it affected you, and how you were just trying to help me…I'm…I'm so sorry…"

A slight tremble crept through Noah, but then he felt a small chill on his good shoulder, and he gradually lifted his head, blue eyes meeting with the violet before him.

Atem smiled fondly to him, a hand to Noah's shoulder, and the smile grew just a little when Noah looked up at him.

" _The more you talk about things, the easier it becomes to bear. And the more you become who you're meant to be,"_ Atem replied softly, before giving a small nod, _"And realizing how_ _ **valuable**_ _your life is—to others and to yourself—is a good start."_

Noah smiled weakly himself, rubbing at his eyes and nodding.


	16. Part 16

' _Deeper, deeper…deeper…I can feel the pressure building in my head…But am I really sinking? I can see the sun, just above the surface. If that_ _ **is**_ _the sun. But it feels so real…and yet not? I'm breathing just fine…At least, I think so…It feels like it…'_

Laying back in a relaxed position, Noah remained in a hover in the ocean-like abyss he'd grown so used to.

It felt cold, but then it didn't; it was dark, but light above him. His arms and legs were crossed as if he were lying on his bed or the couch, though his hair was being pushed up and against his cheeks as if he _were_ sinking deeper in water.

"Noah?"

He jumped subtly, though didn't look over when another body was next to his own, 'lying' in the same position next to him and also staring up at the surface.

Without his lips moving, it seemed Noah spoke, "First time _you've_ shown up in the middle of this dream."

"You've gained a sense of self-awareness," Atem replied, and it didn't seem he was 'talking,' either, "And that awareness allowed me to breach into your subconscious. The least I can provide for you is company."

"Thanks…but it's so weird," Noah's brows furrowed, "It's fast-moving, usually, like I plunge down into the darkness, and then I see that… _thing_ at the bottom. This time…I'm just—floating. Wavering, almost."

"You've been in a much more peaceful state of mind lately; that might be affecting this dream you've been having on a regular basis."

Noah heaved a small sigh; Atem was right. Ever since that moment at the hospital, he really had tried to talk about things—about himself—a bit more between Yugi and Atem, and even Téa to an extent. It was just hard and painful to talk about certain things, things much more deeply rooted in himself. But it helped to talk about the little things. It _had_ made him more peaceful.

Not much happier, but peaceful. And he hadn't felt 'peaceful' in a long time.

"I guess I just want answers," Noah replied quietly, eyes narrowing, "It's all just…confusing."

"You're wanting to say 'unfair.'"

"A bit, yeah. But i-it _is_ confusing, too. I-I mean…why _me?_ What have _I_ got that some sociopath would want?"

It was quiet for a moment, and it seemed like Atem was trying to pick his words carefully, "It…might be that you seem easily susceptible to dark energy. It might also be that Zorc sees you as bait to use against me, or possibly against Yugi, since he couldn't stay trapped in the shadows."

"A-K-A: I'm an easy target."

"No, you're not. If you were an 'easy target,' you wouldn't have been able to summon the Egyptian gods in the shadows."

This made Noah suck in a small breath, but then he frowned, "Why's _that_ a big deal?"

"Not just anyone can control the Egyptian gods, Noah. The fact that _you_ were able to, all on your own, proved to Zorc that you would be anything _but_ an 'easy target.' Especially since you were injured and physically weakened from the shadows at the time."

Noah looked off briefly, before his brows furrowed again, "But…I-I really _didn't_ summon them on my own. It felt—like someone else did. Like _I_ was the one moving, but—but I couldn't see, I couldn't really move that much because of my arm…A-And—I remember being called 'Master'?"

"From what I could see, Noah, you seemed to be emitting your own source of power to summon the Egyptian gods. Whatever you could see—or _couldn't_ see—it was only _you_ who summoned them."

Noah heaved another sigh, not at all reassured.

But a sudden pulse of energy through the ocean-like abyss made each flinch—and then Noah was suddenly pulled downward with a yell.

Atem was left above, though Noah couldn't hear his call for him, and soon he was down in the suffocating darkness again, just like usual.

Except a few bolts of black lightning were shot at him first. He gave a small yell as he dodged each one. He could feel a burning sensation in his shoulder, like the poison was infecting him again; at the same time, he felt the heat from the dark energy clashing with some kind of cold that emitted from behind. And, once more, he saw the same blue wings sprout from his back. They really _were_ fairly pretty, and still carried a faint glow (even if it _did_ scare the daylight out of him).

And then there was a deep laugh in the abyss.

The dark poison from his shoulder _peeled away_ the skin of his right arm, drawing out a scream. Some kind of claw-like mutation took place of his whole arm, almost like a separate appendage from his body. A continuous string of groans left his throat. The pain was surging through him from the feeling of the skin being ripped away.

Another chuckle, and there was the pain of the wings being ripped away from his back again. Another scream left him. It was all very real-feeling, and he could feel hot tears on his face from how much it hurt. Why couldn't he see Atem? Was he able to get to him?

' _Please…! Someone help,_ _ **please**_ _…!'_ Noah silently begged, clutching at his shoulder as it felt like the poison was spreading through him again, making him writhe.

' _Please…!'_

It felt like where the wings had been was bleeding out, like the lacerations had been reopened.

' _ **Please**_ _…!'_

Hot and cold energy clashed within him, his head pounding and his heart beating harshly.

' _ **PLEASE**_ _–!'_

With a lurch and another scream, Noah bolted up, panting heavily and eyes wide and wild. His face felt wet, and his throat felt tight.

Next to him—holding tight to his arms—was Yugi, looking over him with a panicked worry, "Noah i-it's okay, lie back–! It's okay, you're safe–!"

It almost hurt to do so. It was a shock, in all forms, that the pain Noah had been feeling in his nightmare was still present, even after he was awake. His arm didn't look deformed, his back didn't seem to have gashes from severed wings, but everything still hurt as if the injuries were present.

His chest lurched, a small shock of pain occurring when he tried to breathe in, _"It—_ _ **hurts**_ _–!"_

"I know, I know…!" Yugi mumbled, while Téa came into the room with a glass of water, a couple different medicines, and a cold pack. She was just as panicked as Yugi, robe not even properly fastened around her.

Then Yugi tried to move the Puzzle from the desk over to Noah's chest. In response, Noah jumped and shoved the trinket aside onto the mattress, yelling again and trying to curl up into a ball as if it would lessen the pain.

" _ **No**_ _—i-it hurts too much–!"_

"Noah…!" Téa tried to come a bit closer, however Yugi took her hand in his.

"Not yet, not when he's like this…" He mumbled, however then looked to her, "Did you call the others–?"

"Only Joey picked up—Tristan and Serenity are out of town," She was near-tears as Noah groaned again, his chest lurching once more, "Yugi, what's happening to Noah–!? What's hurting him, what's wrong–!?"

"I don't _know_ …!" Yugi shook his head, reaching for the Puzzle again, though the minute he let go, Noah started thrashing again, "Noah, I know it hurts, but you _need_ the Puzzle on you–!"

He almost forced the Puzzle to stay to Noah's chest, over his heart, however Noah lurched repeatedly, his head dipping back. Yugi winced when another scream left Noah, but he glanced back at his trembling wife.

"Téa, go wait for Joey—I'll stay with him," He said sternly.

Téa was hesitant to leave with the present state, but gave a couple nods and hurried down the stairs. The moment she left, Yugi leaned forward, placing his forehead against Noah's while shutting his eyes; the closeness only seemed to worsen the pain, but Yugi refused to flinch back.

"Noah, you need to come back to me…!" He told him, grip tightening ever so slightly on the Puzzle, "Come back to me—Come back _now,_ _ **right now**_ _!"_

A bright glow emitted from the Puzzle.

Another gasp came from Noah, and he looked outward with a wide-eyed gaze for a moment while he abruptly stopped thrashing. The darkness left his eyes and light returned to them, and he shuddered and panted for breath shortly after. His limbs fell limp against the mattress; small groans still left him while the last of the shock and pain was easing away.

Yugi leaned back once he heard the gasp, and then sighed in relief once Noah blinked a few times (a couple tears left the corners of his eyes) and the Puzzle's glow dimmed.

Yugi then brought Noah up into a hug, though Noah flinched again. _"It—s-still hurts—"_

"I know, but it'll help you," Yugi said, even tightening his embrace, "Just give it a little longer, okay? Just try to hold on a bit longer…"

Upon feeling the heat dissipate from his being, and the cold replace it, Noah returned the gesture and hugged Yugi tightly. He even felt a pair of ethereal-like hands on his shoulders that told him Atem was nearby as well, trying to offer whatever comfort he could.

After a few minutes, Téa returned to the bedroom with Joey close behind her. He still looked to be in his pajamas, though had pulled on sneakers and a jacket, "Is he okay–?"

Yugi glanced over, "He is _now_ …"

Téa came over and hugged Noah as well, brushing his bangs back, "Noah–?"

Noah's eyes were half-lidded, and his skin a bit pale, dark circles abruptly deepening under his eyes.

Yugi lay him back for the time being, "I don't think he's going to be too responsive for a bit, Téa…"

He replied softly before he looked back around to Joey, "Joey, think you could—"

"Try n' get a-hold-a T, or Serenity…?" He finished with a weak smile.

"You're on top of it, Joey."

Joey gave a nod and headed out, and Téa took the cold pack, "I-I'm—going to stick this back in the freezer, it's already thawed out…"

She sounded a bit flustered, almost looking for a reason to leave, though not because she wanted to; she gave Yugi a worried, knowing glance before heading out the door after Joey.

Once she had headed out, Yugi looked back at Noah. He brushed the blond bangs back again, speaking in a small whisper, "Noah…? Can you hear me?"

Noah cringed and almost whimpered, opening his eyes to look at his father. They were rather abruptly rimmed with red, and he gulped back a lump before managing to speak.

" _I f-feel terrible…"_ He mumbled out, brows furrowed.

Yugi frowned, "You _look_ terrible, to be perfectly honest…"

"J-Just what the hell is _wrong_ with me…?"

Noah cringed and clutched at his right shoulder; when he did, Yugi carefully brought Noah's hand away, pulling down on his pajama shirt to look. He straightened, seeing the scarring from Zorc's poison seemed to still be thriving, giving small pulses. At the very least, it was still causing Noah pain.

"Noah, I think this might have to do with this dark energy still in you…" Yugi mused quietly, looking back at him, "And I'm sure it's not good that it _is_ still in you."

Noah managed a nod, but looked back over at Yugi, "B-But…I-I d-don't know how—how to g-get rid of it…"

Yugi's brows furrowed, "I know…But it's still hurting you a great deal, and it made you—w-well, you…" He hesitated, suppressing a shudder, "You…almost looked _possessed_ , Noah—I can't think of another way to put it, but I have no idea what the _actual_ source of this is…"

" _Neither do I…"_

Yugi straightened again, and Noah tried to open his eyes a little wider; the Puzzle gave off a small shine, and Atem's form appeared on the bed next to them, not even denting the covers.

After looking over Noah, Atem's eyes narrowed in his frown, _"Noah, I'm so sorry…I should've tried to wake you up before this happened."_

"I-It's not—your f-fault," Noah gave a small shake of his head, "Y-You d-didn't—know he'd t-try an–anything…"

He cringed again briefly, however with a small bit of static, the poison suddenly dulled in his shoulder again, solidifying, and the pain finally started to lift off most of his body.

Noah exhaled in relief, and Yugi's brows furrowed, "Calming down…?"

"A-A little…i-it's not hurting so much…"

Atem let his hand hover between the Puzzle and Noah's forehead for a moment, _"I can sense the dark energy retreating…though, I can also almost feel a bit of—of_ _ **damage**_ _to you, Noah…"_

Noah gave another small shake of his head, "I-I'll be all right…It's just my right arm and back right now…"

"Your _back–?"_ Yugi straightened, arching a brow.

Noah hesitated, but tried to take in a deep breath, "Wh-When I f-fell unconscious—during the d-duel at school…I…I had a strange dream that—that I had these blue wings, and they gave off s-some sort of glow…but…then this dark energy surrounded me, and—ripped them off…And the same happened just now—except I-I actually _felt_ it this time…"

Yugi put a hand gingerly to Noah's shoulder, frowning, "Why didn't you say anything before–? That was almost three weeks ago, Noah…!"

"I-I tried to—I-I wanted to," Noah let his head fall to the side, "I just…it didn't happen again, so I didn't think much about it after what happened at the hospital…"

" _You tried to tell me in your Soul Room,"_ Atem replied, brows furrowing, _"I could hear you talking before I fell asleep again._ _ **That**_ _was what you were trying to tell me."_

"Yeah…I just…I-I didn't think about it again…"

Noah groaned lightly from movement, just shifting his position on the bed a bit.

Yugi looked to him with furrowed brows, "You need time to recover. I'll put in that you'll be absent tomorrow, you need the rest."

Noah halfheartedly glared at him, "Dad…"

"Consider that one of the few times I give you an _order,"_ Yugi arched a brow, tone stern, "It's almost one in the morning, Noah; you wouldn't be able to learn _or_ function if you tried to go to school in the morning."

At that, Noah had no strength or mental capacity to argue or give a witty remark. He ended up sighing, sinking further into the pillows, "Yessir…"

Yugi gave a nod, but then leaned forward and gently embraced Noah again.

"I'll go let your mom and Joey know what happened…" Yugi replied softly, before leaning back. He seemed to hesitate, but ran his hand through Noah's hair and spoke quietly, "I'm glad you're still safe…"

Noah smiled weakly, giving a nod, and then Yugi stood, looking back at Noah once more before he went out, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Atem looked back to Noah after they were alone, _"Do you_ _ **really**_ _feel all right…?"_

"I-I still feel the pain I was talking about, but it's numbing…" Noah looked back to Atem with furrowed brows, "Did… _you_ drive the dark energy away–?"

" _I…attempted to. The minute you were dragged down. But…"_ Atem ended up sighing, offering a shrug, _"My power wasn't enough; it seemed some other power helped to drive it away."_

"Th-The power from me that you were t-talkin' about–?"

" _Not this time. It was coming from an outside force."_

Noah frowned, but then he stifled a yawn behind his hand.

" _Sleep,"_ Atem replied gently with a nod, _"You_ _ **do**_ _need to rest; that attack took a lot out of you."_

Noah went ahead and nodded in compliance, turning to the side and letting his eyes fall shut.

* * *

The day after next, Noah went with Yugi to Domino High. The rest _had_ been good for him, considering he didn't look quite so pale or sick anymore, though he remained a bit fatigued. Though, he noticed that his father glance at him several times during the car ride over.

"You know, I'd prefer you just _asking_ me to talk compared to having you stare at me…?" Noah finally said at one point.

Yugi's brows arched, "I'm used to you _not_ wanting to talk. But if you're willing to, I'd be happy to listen."

"I just—I-I don't know…" Noah sighed, leaning his head in his hand as he watched out the window, "It…It almost feels like—talking about things makes me feel a lot more peaceful, i-it's been decompressing, but…but I'm not really any _happier_. Isn't it supposed to help me _feel_ better? Peace is a step up, but…I still can't find motivation to _do_ much."

Yugi glanced at him, frowning, "Depression isn't a quick fix, Noah…I know it still hurts, and you probably carry a lot of resentment towards things—me included—but…happiness _does_ come, eventually. I know from personal experience."

Noah offered a small sigh in response, and a small vibration came from the Puzzle around his neck. He was quiet for the rest of the time, but the air didn't feel tense like it usually would have.

During class, Noah took notes and went through the textbook, and during the break, he zoned out briefly, just letting his mind wander while he doodled over some of his notes.

"Hi."

However, he straightened and looked up, blinking a couple times before leaning back and offering Jessie Wheeler a small smile, "Oh—Hi."

Her wavy hair was brought back with a bright pink ribbon, and she straightened the blue bow at the collar of her shirt before softly clearing her throat, "Y-Yugi said that you were 'sick' yesterday…A-Are you feeling all right?"

He gave a small sigh, "As…well as I can be, lately. But—let your dad know I _really_ appreciate him coming over so early in the morning–?"

"Sure-Sure—o-of course. And…" She frowned softly for a moment, before folding her hands behind her back. "Well…Noah, I…Well, I-I know you're not up to much lately—I-I know there's been so much going on and all, but I was—I-I was wondering if you might—maybe—"

"You're not as 'dazy' as you usually are," Noah admitted bluntly, however his brows furrowed afterwards, "I-Is everything okay?"

"Would you like to hang out Saturday night?" She got out in a single breath.

He straightened, eyes widening, but soon a blush filled his cheeks, a bit brighter than usual, "W-Well…W-Well…I-I-I-uhm…"

' _Oh, God. What do I do, what do I say, what do I do–!?'_ He thought over and over, gulping dryly.

" _Try saying 'yes,' Noah—before she leaves,"_ Atem responded from the Puzzle, a smile in his tone.

Noah jumped, but just when she was looking discouraged, he stood up abruptly, "Yes–!"

She straightened as well, but then she smiled brightly, "Really? Like really-really–?"

He gulped again, before offering a very weak smile, still blushing, "Well…I-I mean…Yes, I'd like to. I think…I think I need to get out a bit, be around friends. I-I think it'd be good for me."

Jessie gave a small grin, before shrugging, "Sarah's on vacation for another few days, so it'd just be us…I-I go to the café all the time, but…H-Have you ever been?—Just to eat n' all?"

"Not…s-since we first met, no."

"Then…maybe there, if you want? At—seven? The café closes at six—we'll be alone, and…I-I don't think my dad would bother us, really."

Noah smiled a bit more, his shoulders relaxing, though his blush deepened, "Yeah. Th-That sounds—sounds good. I'll—I-I'll be around at seven."

Her smile broadened further, and she gave a nod just as the class was gathered back for the next lesson, which happened to be Yugi's. She was flustered briefly, giving a nod and mumbling a small 'bye' before sitting back down behind him.

He looked off with wide eyes as he sat down again himself, the blush still in his cheeks, registering what just transpired. It took every ounce of his common sense not to turn around and look at her again.

" _Someone has a_ _ **date**_ _."_

Noah flushed a bit brighter at hearing Atem, hands clenching and unclenching, _'Sh-Shut up, it's not a date! W-We're—j-j-just hanging out–!'_

" _At the café. By yourselves. With no one else around,"_ Atem pointed out, and Noah could hear his smirk, _"I know what a date looks like, Noah; Yugi set me up on one before."_

When Noah's face grew hot, Atem chuckled, _"And I would calm yourself, before he notices how red you look. Might make it look like you're ill again. Which, in a way, I suppose you are—but I don't think this is_ _ **nearly**_ _as serious."_

Noah let his forehead fall onto his textbook, _"Shut_ _ **up**_ _–!"_

For a moment, it was silent.

"Noah…?"

He flushed deeply yet again, and he slowly brought his head back up, now noticing the other students around him were all staring at him in bewilderment, Jessie included.

Yugi looked at him with furrowed brows. "Is…everything all right?"

Noah hesitated, but straightened, and folded his hands over his textbook and bowed his head in apology briefly, "Y-Yessir, e-everything's—everything's fine. I-I'm really really sorry, i-it won't happen again."

Yugi still looked mildly concerned, but turned back to the front as the rest of the students took to their notes.

Noah's face fell into a frown, _'Goddamn you, Atem…'_

The chuckle he received made him roll his eyes before he went back to taking notes.


	17. Part 17

"Stop _laughing…!_ This is a big deal–!"

Yugi managed to calm himself to a small chuckle, but he still smirked in amusement, "I know it is; I just think it came at the perfect time."

Noah gave a small pout and flushed again anyway, huffing and leaning back on his hands. He sat across from his father's desk in the classroom, waiting for the man to finish gathering his stuff for them to leave for home.

"I always wondered why she kept staring off at the back of your head," Yugi mumbled, before smirking at Noah again, "So, anything _special_ you plan on doing for her, then…?"

"I-I don't know, I-I…Th-This is all just—s-so _new_ for me, I-I'm not, I-I never— _Quit_ _ **laughing**_ _, ya_ _ **jerk**_ _–!"_

Noah had abruptly turned to 'someone' behind him, and his blush deepened in shade, but Yugi then chuckled himself and pat Noah's knee.

"Noah, _relax_ a little," His brows rose, "This is supposed to be _fun_. It's okay to be nervous for your first date, but it isn't something to lose your head over. If anything, you can just take this as an opportunity to get to know Jessie better."

Noah sighed and hopped off the desk, brows furrowing, "But-just—Wh-What if there's another 'attack' while I'm over there? Joey can get there quicker, but—but I wouldn't want _her_ to see me like that, i-in that much pain. It's bad enough that _Mom's_ had to see me like that…"

"While I doubt another 'attack' will occur in _that_ quick of succession, why does it matter if she sees you like that?" Yugi's brows furrowed as well, "Noah, it's more than likely Joey already told Mai and Jessie about what's been happening to you. It's probably why she waited so long to actually _ask_ you. I'm sure she's prepared if anything happens, and you can wear the Puzzle as a safety net, if you really want."

Noah arched a brow, tone flat, "Isn't that breaching into 'three's a crowd'…?"

He heard an offended scoff from the Puzzle, but Yugi looked on with a smirk, "Atem knows better when to stay out of things, Noah, especially when 'sharing' a mind."

Noah gave a shrug, but then straightened again as Yugi picked up his suitcase, "Just…one more thing–?"

Yugi's brows rose again.

Noah's shoulders slumped forward with a small frown. "I literally don't have _anything_ nice to wear."

Yugi gave a small chuckle, patting Noah's back a couple times, _"I_ can help with that part of it; let's go, your mom's probably already waiting to hear more at home."

Noah looked back around at him with a wide-eyed glare, a small blush coloring his cheeks once again, "Did you really _call_ Mom–?"

"Hey, 'this is a big deal,' remember…?" Yugi reminded coyly, before offering a small smirk and ushering Noah out as his son sighed tersely.

* * *

"Remember, this isn't going to go _any_ later than eleven."

"I _know,_ Mom…"

"And if he tries to do anything—you remember what you learned in self-defense, right?"

" _Mom–!"_

Mai smirked, but then came over and helped to braid the ribbon into Jessie's hair, "I'm just kidding, sweetie. If he's _really_ Yugi and Téa's son, most likely, he'll be quite the gentleman when it comes down to it…I at least expect as much from Téa."

Once the ribbon was tied, Jessie checked over her outfit again in the mirror. It wasn't too extravagant, but it was soft, and she thought it was cute. Her shirt was a soft lilac, a scoop-neck with 'puffy' sleeves that reached her elbows, and then a sky-blue skirt that billowed when she spun and was hemmed just above her knees. She wore white ballet flats and a white ribbon around her neck, and Mai had helped tie another white ribbon into a braid near her bangs.

Mai then smiled in satisfaction, fussing with Jessie's hair, "You look beautiful…"

Jessie smiled back, clasping her hands together, "Thanks…Do you think he'll like it–?"

" _Of course he will."_

Joey had come up to the door, leaning against the frame, but he shrugged and added "He better be on time, though—you look as fine as your Ma did on our first _real_ date. I'd have an issue if he was late."

Mai smirked at him while Jessie chuckled, but then the bells tolled from the front door downstairs, and she straightened with a small gasp.

" _Oh-Lord, he's early–!"_ She said in a rush while she ran past her parents, "See you at home, love you–!"

Down below, Noah couldn't help tugging at his sleeves, though he'd already had to re-fold them back up to three-fourths length from tugging them repeatedly on the way there.

Yugi had leant him black slacks and a collared, bright blue shirt, but Noah fixed them to be something more his style; he'd worn a black tank under the blue shirt, pulled the collar up and back a bit more, and then folded the sleeves up to his mid-forearms. He went ahead and tucked in the shirt, but nixed a belt, and wore one of his pairs of simple sneakers that required him to cuff the slacks as well.

" _Remember to_ _ **breathe**_ _, Noah,"_ He heard from the back of his mind.

Noah straightened and took a deep breath, but also frowned as he straightened the Puzzle chain around his neck, _'I thought you said you wouldn't be involved at all…?'_

" _I won't be, but I'm worried you'll pass out before she even comes down."_

Before Noah could counter, he heard Jessie's hurried steps on the stairs, and he straightened himself. Once she came down, they held eye contact for a moment before she came over to him, smiling softly.

"Hi," She said quietly, partially on default, before she folded her hands behind her back.

Noah could only respond with a small "Wow."

She blushed and stifled a chuckle, and he cleared his throat, "I-I mean-uh—Hi. Hi. Y-You—You look great."

"Thanks…You look pretty 'wow' yourself."

He blushed faintly as well, before his brows furrowed and he messed with the sleeves of his shirt again, "I-It's not actually mine, I-I…m-my dad let me borrow the shirt and slacks…"

Jessie leaned a bit closer, making him look her in the eye when she tilted her head, and she smiled to him, "You look great."

He hesitated, but smiled a bit more, "Thanks…"

Satisfied with the response, she then took his hand and led him over to the front counter; ducking underneath the door in the counter, she looked to him.

"My dad said we could pick something from under-the-glass if we wanted food; do you want anything?"

In all honesty, Noah hadn't been eating a lot for quite some time. However, looking at what was on the menu, he shrugged, "I-I guess I'd be okay with whatever you're going to have," He replied, "I-I'm not too picky."

"Anything you _don't_ want?"

"I can't have peanuts."

"Allergy?"

"Yep."

He sat at the other side of the counter while she got out two of the glazed cinnamon rolls, a cup of decaf coffee for her and tea for him.

Once they were sitting, Jessie gave him a tiny frown, "So… _have_ you been okay, lately? With all the stuff going on, I mean?"

He hesitated, sipping from his cup before answering, "I-I guess so…? I-It just gets a bit…taxing, every once in awhile."

Her frown deepened, and she tilted her head, "Were you _really_ sick a few days ago…? Or was it—y-you know…?"

He gave a weaker shrug, "I…It was—another 'attack.' I wasn't actually sick or anything like that, I was just—" He stopped himself, not really wanting to go into detail about how much pain he'd been in. He ended up meekly clearing his throat, looking away.

However, she surprised him by very gently (almost hesitantly) taking his hand, still frowning.

"I was really worried about you, y'know…?" She replied quietly, "Both Sarah and I have been. Soon after we'd met, too, you having been 'gone' so frequently…"

Noah could feel his cheeks heating up again, however he subtly cleared his throat and gave a small shake of his head, "Nah…I-I was—a pretty big jerk then, still kinda am now…"

"No, you're not," Her brows furrowed, "You've been hurt a lot. Things are only _just_ starting to get better for you, and you had a legit reason to kinda _hate_ everything before. And just because some—some _psycho_ is messing around with you, it doesn't mean it's your fault. It _isn't_ your fault."

He stared up at her in a slight shock for a bit, his cheeks heating up even more, and he was silent for a bit before he looked off.

"I-I…I mean—well…" He finally sighed, and looked back up at her, "Thanks, Jessie…"

She smiled weakly, and then she leaned back, still holding his hand, "So…How about you tell me a bit about you? Maybe what you _used_ to like doing in your freetime?"

He flushed a bit deeper, "I-I-I'm really not good about t-talking about myself…"

"Well, how about 'twenty questions,' then?" Her smile brightened, "You _do_ like games, right…?"

Noah's brows arched, "Do you _know_ my family…?"

She chuckled, but gave a nod, "All right, then, I'll start it off for you: Have you always found it so difficult to talk about yourself…?"

"I…N-No, not, not always…M-Mom says I used to be pretty _chatty_ as a kid."

He subtly cleared his throat, and then his brows rose, "Aside from 'reading dreams' and all, where's _your_ interest at?"

She grinned suddenly, leaning forward on the table, "Oh, I love all those adorable Fairy-types in Duel Monsters, I've got my own deck of them! I love reading the original stories they're from, they're so wonderful…I remember being some kind of fairytale character every year at Halloween for the past—"

She stopped herself suddenly, blushing a bit and smiling sheepishly, "Sorry…"

He was smiling, however he shook his head, "I-It's okay, really. You're _really_ excitable, aren't you?"

She raised her chin, feigning a stern tone, "Hey, it's _my_ turn to ask the question."

He feigned his own look of realization and nodded, "Right, right—sorry."

Both offered small smiles, and they went on questioning each other, starting out simply and working towards more complex questions.

It wasn't until Jessie asked Noah what his favorite Monster was that she finally saw a sort of spark in his eyes.

"Is it strange that my _own_ card is my favorite?" He asked first, looking off with a small smile, "I-I mean, it's not real, but it's mine. I-It's this one Monster I created when I was five, it…I called it 'Cloaked Stranger,' mainly cuz I-I wasn't too creative with names back then. But it was a simplistic design, and it almost felt like I'd _met_ that one monster in a dream before or somethin' freaky like that. And he only ever offered help me or others. But I tried to replicate it as best as I could, what I could remember, and—even now I don't remember it all that well, I lost the card somewhere in moving between here and the States, but—"

He finally caught her gaze, and he straightened at seeing a grin on her face.

His brows furrowed, "What?—What'd I do?"

She chuckled, but then looked back with a smile again, "I'm sorry, just…I'm really sorry, but I don't think I've ever heard you _talk_ so much before. It's nice."

After a moment, he laughed from realizing that he really _hadn't_ talked quite so much in a long time. Actually, he hadn't really laughed in quite some time, either. It felt good, and he still smiled afterwards. And his laugh made Jessie smile even more. He liked her smile.

Though, right then, the clock nearby chimed, signaling it was almost eleven, and each looked over.

After a few moments, Jessie gave a sad smile, "Was nice while it lasted, right…?"

Noah smiled fondly to her, and gave a shrug, "I'm—still really glad I came. I-I had fun just talking with you, Jessie."

She smiled a bit more, "Promise to start calling me 'Jess' every now-and-then?"

"Isn't that Joey's thing–?"

"I think it's okay if _you_ call me that. Besides, I can always argue it's another nickname for Jessica."

Noah smiled meekly, blushing faintly as he nodded, "All right…Jess…I-I really should get home, though—my mom will flip if I get home any later."

Jessie shrugged, "I'd say 'me, too,' but I just have to head down the street. Mom and Dad are probably already in bed, and they sleep like _logs_."

He chuckled again, and each stood.

Jessie walked with him to the door, and Noah looked to her with slight hesitancy, "I'm…sorry, i-if I seem like a frump, compared to tonight…"

"You're not a frump," She argued softly, but then she took his hand in hers again, "And even so, it'd be understandable. It's really brave of you, y'know? I don't know if you even realize it, but…still trying to live a normal life and work towards being happier, all while this crazy nutcase is trying to hurt you just to get 'something' from you? You're really brave, Noah."

A slight shine came into his eyes, but he smiled fondly to her, "Thank you."

She smiled herself, and they stood there for quite some time, until she suddenly moved. It was on the cheek, but she still gave him a quick kiss, before drawing back and blushing deeply.

She said a small 'bye' before rushing out the door ahead of him.

His shoulders were a bit rigid, and he blushed fiercely himself; he looked on with wide eyes for some time before gulping and tugging on his shirt collar to try and cool himself off. Then he finally realized he was still standing at the front door, and he headed out and slowly started off for home.

* * *

By the time Noah got back to the house, it was about eleven thirty, and Téa and Yugi seemed to already be asleep. Noah crept up the stairs and got changed, hanging his father's clothes up on the hook on his door, before finally laying back in bed [somewhat hesitant].

Although, he couldn't fall asleep. His head was still buzzing a bit, thinking.

He really hadn't considered himself 'worthy' of someone else's time like that before, not someone outside his family—he _still_ almost didn't consider himself worth anyone's time. But Jessie had seemed to enjoy the time with him; and he had really, truly enjoyed it with her. And what she had said meant a lot, that she and Sarah had been worried about him.

He couldn't help the stupid-looking grin he must've had on his face. He felt…happy. He felt 'needed,' for someone else other than just some shadow demon. And it made him feel _good._ Good about himself, about who he was. It didn't fix everything, but it was something of a reassurance, if nothing else.

Head buzzing even more, Noah got up from bed and sifted through the drawers of his desk, coming upon a pen and old sketch-pad that had yet to be used. He turned on the side lamp, which was dim enough that it wouldn't cause a disturbance from his door.

He sat back down on his bed, and got to work.

He was drawing or writing for quite some time, though at some point he had to have fallen asleep—but it was the first time in quite some time that he slept _soundly,_ not a single nightmare or attack on his being during the night.

And when Yugi came in to wake him up the next morning, he was more than happy to see Noah still sound asleep, surrounded by a couple wadded-up papers, as well as a few filled pages.

Some pages carried words with tiny doodles, but then there were some full-body sketches as well. Two in particular stood out: one was a yet-to-be-completely-inked sketch of a mage-like figure, a vague contour of a moon behind it; the other was a fully-inked and detailed sketch of the Cloaked Stranger card he remembered Noah first creating when he was five.

Yugi couldn't help a broad, fond smile, and then he noticed the apparition of Atem sitting on the desk, looking over the 'mess' of papers as well with a smile of his own.

" _Not a single disturbance,"_ Atem mused quietly, looking over at Yugi, _"He was up drawing or writing as soon as he got home."_

Yugi gave a nod, looking back at Noah again; he could've sworn he saw the slightest of smiles on Noah's face while he slept.


	18. Part 18

**Author's Note:**

Whoa! Okay so I didn't expect so many people to be interested in this? At all? Thanks you guys! X'D

I don't think I'll have too many other notes after this, but here goes. I'm posting 18 and 19 together, but I won't normally do this? It's just that the two are both short and they're connected anyway, so I figured I might as well.

Also, I'm still working on all the other Arcs as well as some AU's that I've gotten obsessed with ^^; I'm not sure if I'll post those though? They're AU's but they're AUs using the YGO AD 'verse. I mean leave a comment if you're interested? But otherwise, I'll probably just keep it to the Arcs and Bonus Parts on here.

Anyway, I won't keep you long, just wanted to give updates and to thank you guys for the awesome responses! Read on~

* * *

" _Someone's looking 'cheery' for running errands."_

A faint pink colored Noah's cheeks, _'Maybe a little.'_

"' _A little' he says…"_

Noah rolled his eyes as he perused the store aisles.

As unusual as it felt, he really had no problem admitting that he felt good. The past few nights, there hadn't been any attacks (physically or mentally), and he'd actually started getting back into doing activities he used to love doing as a child.

Plus, with the lack of tension, Noah had started to get to know Atem better as well, while he was drawing or just when he was working on homework. And Atem got to know him in response.

Noah still saw Atem as a bit prideful and 'royal,' and Atem still saw Noah as flippant and pessimistic.

But, now other qualities were coming to light, too. Noah had gotten used to Atem's optimism, and also found Atem was very determined [at times stubborn] and almost had a similar sense of sarcasm to Yugi. Atem also found Noah to carry that same flatness at times—but he found that, deep down, Noah was actually very passionate, and naturally selfless [despite what Noah said].

' _What's with_ _ **you**_ _hangin' around, anyway…?'_ Noah replied to Atem, halfheartedly, _'I_ _ **am**_ _just doing shopping for Mom, it's nothing exciting.'_

" _I happen to like seeing you genuinely_ _ **happy**_ _. It_ _ **is**_ _a foreign concept to see you smiling, but it looks good, at least."_

' _Gee,_ _ **thanks**_ _…'_

Noah tried to hide a smile when he heard a faint chuckle [since he _was_ still in public].

"Excuse me–?"

He straightened and turned around; it looked like a teenager, with a black hoodie and jeans, the hood pulled up over their face. He knew it was a girl, at least; he could see the shape of her face.

"Could you please tell me what's on this shelf? I left my glasses at home."

There was a second of hesitation, but Noah nodded and raised a hand to check the item she was in front of, "Yeah, sure, it's-uh—"

He gasped when she abruptly grabbed his wrist, with surprising strength. He jumped in reflex, _"Hey–!"_

" _Ssh…_ I wouldn't get too loud, if I were you…"

Noah looked up and over at her, right when the girl looked up at him; it was hard to recognize her without a slithering snake and a black cloak over her form, but her platinum-blonde hair and icy blue eyes could now be seen from under the hood. Though he did notice an aged, golden choker around her neck that looked like a snake, with red jewel-like eyes that looked too real.

Noah's eyes widened sharply, "Olivia…!?"

"Take a walk with me, Mutou…"

She kept a vice-like hold on his wrist, guiding him down the aisle in a 'leisurely' way, though kept him tight to her side. Meanwhile, Noah was trying to keep his head calm with the whole situation, and not react at how her hold on him was making the poison in his shoulder react by burning ever so slightly.

"What do _you_ want…?" He hissed out between his teeth finally.

"Just checking in on the Master's 'toy,'" She replied nonchalantly, looking over some of the items on the shelf next to her, "He's been sensing you get stronger."

A glare was hidden behind her smirk, "As have I."

He stopped walking, glaring back, "You don't scare me, Olivia. Not anymore."

A light chuckle left her, and Noah's eyes narrowed.

"Funny," She mused in an airy tone, "I don't remember you being so brave in all those nightmares you've been having…?" Her smirk broadened, especially when he jumped, "Like when those sickly-bright blue wings were torn away…But then, perhaps it's that little girl you're seeing more of…? Is she 'chasing away' the darkness, Mutou…?"

" _That's none of His business–!"_ He hissed out, straightening and getting closer.

Her grip tightened further, almost to the point of snapping his wrist; he gave a terse groan in response, and winced while she straightened.

" _Nothing_ is private in your mind anymore, _moron,"_ She said darkly, eyes almost glowing, and he could swear he heard a quiet hiss from her choker, "Master Zorc sees _everything_ within you. Perhaps I can go visit this _girl_ after you…?"

He whipped around and took hold of her wrist, though not as tightly as she still held onto his, and his glare deepened, _"Don't you_ _ **touch**_ _her._ I'm not letting you hurt anyone else the way you've hurt me."

He got another chuckle in response, "Well, perhaps just come with me, then…? I won't touch her, and I can take you right to the man in charge, and you can have a little _talk_ …?"

A small flash from the Puzzle made her jump and gasp, blinding her briefly; when it died off again, she looked back, soon glaring.

Atem wretched his wrist away from Olivia, backing up a step and glaring at her in return, "I'm not letting you say anything more to him, Olivia. You and your 'Master' have tortured Noah _enough."_

"I was _wondering_ when you'd step in," She replied in a snarl, raising her chin, "Becoming a little _protector_ for him, now…?"

"Yes," Atem answered simply, eyes narrowing in his glare, "I will gladly be a shield for him, against you and Zorc and anyone else; he's been through enough for someone his age. He's only just finding his way again, and I will _not_ let you taint him further."

She shook her head in disgust, "Oh, _very_ poetic…"

Atem shrugged, though drew his shoulders back, "He's a writer."

"This isn't the last you've seen of me, or any of us, _Pharaoh,"_ She hissed out, and then turned on her heel and strode away, disappearing around a corner.

Atem only gave a sigh, "No…I know it isn't."

The Puzzle shone with a bright light again; after it died down, Noah leaned against the shelves and looked down, trying to calm his earlier rush of adrenaline and fear.

' _Thank you…'_ It was almost a whisper.

And he smiled weakly at Atem's response of _"Any time."_

* * *

The dream was different this time around. Noah had fully expected the nightmares to start up again, after his encounter with Olivia; he had even mentally prepared himself for it before heading to bed. But it was strange how this 'nightmare' seemed different from the usual one he'd _been_ having. And it felt very _real_. And _that_ was what made Noah tense right away.

He stayed in the one spot, observing his surroundings first. It seemed like it _had_ been a forest originally, but now it was just burnt dirt and ashes and the crispy stumps of trees.

Noah's brows furrowed, and he realized that he was completely alone. He didn't see or feel Atem's presence next to him, and it didn't seem like anyone else was there, either.

What caught his attention was the pile of ash nearby that trembled just barely when he was close enough to it. It seemed to have something buried beneath it. He very hesitantly knelt by it, brushing off just a bit.

Underneath the ash was a humanoid skull.

Noah fell back with a gasp, scooting away with wide eyes, beginning to tremble himself.

A small whisper right by his ear made him jump back onto his feet, looking about, "Who's there–!? C-Come out where I can see you–!"

For a moment, there wasn't any response to his demand.

The first response was for the ash around him to start moving about, soon forming into many skeletal, emancipated-like creatures, some human, some not.

Noah gave another small yell and started backing up again, looking around with wide eyes, "G-Get away from me–!"

" _A mortal of the living realm…!"_ Some of the 'corpses' whispered amongst themselves, reaching for his legs and arms, _"A mortal of the living realm has come at last…! You must help…!"_

"Get off–!" Noah's breathing quickened as more of the ashy corpses rose up from the ground under his feet, forcing him to step further back, "G-Get away, I-I can't help you–!"

" _The Master of Darkness…"_ The whispers were growing a bit more desperate, a bit louder, _"The Master of Darkness has revived the Master of Death…!"_

"Stop–!" Noah was tugged to the ground, the 'corpses' crawling all the closer, _"Get off, let me go–!"_

" _Help us…"_

"I can't help you–!"

" _The Master of Darkness has revived the Master of Death…!"_

Noah tried to get up from the pile of moving ash over him, but his attention was diverted up to the skies, where it seemed like a glowing-red version of the Eye of Wdjat was shining instead of the sun. A blue, vortex-like light encircled it, and a purple flame was burning in the red center.

Noah's eyes widened again, "Wh-What is…!?"

Cold abruptly filled his whole body, and it became hard to breathe; the longer he stared up at the eye in the sky, the weaker and colder he felt.

' _Noah!'_ It sounded like a far-off call, but it felt like multiple people were calling for him at once, _'Noah, wake up–!'_

Noah's sense of touch was slowly ebbing away, and he was growing all the weaker; the poison in his shoulder was burning fiercely again, the only sense of 'feeling' that he had now.

' _Kid, wake up! Noah!'_

The ash covered his face, starting to suffocate him. He couldn't see anymore.

' _Noah, please, wake up!'_

He was freezing cold, numb in the abyss of black; a surge of fear, pure fear, coursed through him as he was abruptly unable to breathe.

' _ **NOAH**_ _!'_

Despite feeling unable to move, Noah's chest gave a sudden lurch and he gave a small scream, almost of relief, calling out, _"_ _ **DAD**_ _–!"_

And then everything was muddled; his arms and legs were being held down, though he still held himself up on his elbows as he hastened to get air into his lungs again.

His bedroom; he was back in his bedroom. But Yugi sat to one side of his bed, holding one arm, Tristan held onto his other arm, and Joey held down his legs. The covers had been torn away, and it seemed they had tried to dump water on him a couple times, attempting to wake him.

Now, Noah hyperventilated to regain lost oxygen, eyes still wide; his face still felt wet, and his eyes stung, but the numbness and suffocating feeling had vanished entirely.

While he was trying to stitch his thoughts back together, Serenity looked over from behind Joey, "Is he awake now—really awake–?"

"Yeah," Joey replied, easing up his grip on the Noah's legs, "But he's shakin' like a leaf."

Yugi very hesitantly put a hand to Noah's cheek, "Noah?—Can you hear me now, can you respond to me–?"

Noah looked about blindly for a moment more, however soon blinked a few times and focused on Yugi, though his voice was extremely soft, " _Y-Yes—"_

There was a group sigh of relief, and Joey and Tristan let go of Noah's limbs, just as Yugi scoot a bit closer to him on the bed.

Serenity looked over to Téa, who was shaking in Mai's hold at the door frame, "He's awake now, he's okay."

Téa gave a heavy sigh of relief, leaning into Mai while Mai rubbed her arm in comfort.

Noah was still trying to gather up his thoughts and memories, but the 'nightmare' he'd just had began to piece back together on its own.

As it did, the earlier fear rushed back into him, and he was shaking all over.

The minute Yugi tried to sit him up, Noah grew limp; he fell onto Yugi with a heavy sob, not saying a word, just crying in-between quick, gasp-like breaths and trying to relieve some of the tension in his shoulders, while he shook heavily.

Yugi was surprised when Noah fell onto him, and even more so when he began to cry so heavily; the lot of _them_ only knew what they heard when Noah had been talking here-and-there during the nightmare, but it seemed it was something much more terrifying than they had an idea of.

Yugi wrapped his arms around Noah anyway, almost starting a rocking-like motion as his brows furrowed, "It's okay…It's all right, you're safe now…We're all here, everything will be okay…"

When he only received another heavy sob in response, he tightened his hold a bit, and Téa came over as well and joined the two, with the others slowly and quietly filtering out of the room to wait downstairs.

Yugi looked off over Téa and Noah, noticing another person standing by and watching; however, he straightened at the look he saw on Atem's face.

Atem's eyes were a bit wide, mouth parted in slight stun before pressing into a frown. With a nod, he silently told Yugi: _'It just got worse.'_

Yugi frowned, laying his cheek against Noah's head while Noah gave another small sob.


	19. Part 19

"Noah, you should really drink something…"

Noah looked up when Serenity spoke, frowning briefly, but gave a light, shaken sigh, and took the mug of tea from her hands. Yugi had helped Noah down the stairs once he had calmed to some extent, but now it had become very quiet.

Noah was silent, gradually withdrawing into himself, though it only made him think about the nightmare again. He gave a shallow sigh, and then looked between the rest of the group from between his mother and father on the couch.

"B-Before…" He gently cleared his throat from a small bit of dryness, "Before _I_ g-go into detail…wh-what happened o-on—o-on the _outside_?"

"A lot," Joey replied first, frowning a little.

When Noah's brows furrowed, Yugi subtly cleared his throat and softly explained, "Your mom and I heard you from our room, first. When we came in, you were already yelling and nearly screaming again. Then you started thrashing, and…talking, quite a bit. Your mom called the others, and Joey and Tristan helped me to hold you down so that you wouldn't hurt yourself. And…well, we _thought_ you had woken up at one point, but—"

"You started spoutin' off gibberish, man," Joey interjected, arching a brow, "Had to be ancient Egyptian or somethin', but all you did was stare up at the ceiling while ya spoke. And then you passed out and stopped moving _completely."_

Noah straightened, brows furrowing, before looking from his mother to his father, "I-I can't speak Egyptian."

"We know," Yugi replied, before he frowned and brushed back Noah's bangs, "But how about _you…?_ Are you okay with telling us what you saw?"

Noah pressed his lips for a moment, but then took a deep breath, setting his mug down on the coffee table, "I-I…I-It was this burnt forest…it still smelled like smoke, and there were ashes on the ground everywhere…Then…when I f-found a s-skull under a pile of ash…these—these _dead things_ came up out of the ash a-a-and st-started m-m-moving toward me, a-and…a-and I s-saw this red— _eye_ surrounded in blue light in the sky a-and—th-then…th-then…"

Noah began to tremble again, and he wrapped his arms around himself, "Th-Then I-I felt _cold_ …a-and numb…I-I c-couldn't f-feel anything, a-and I-I c-couldn't see…! I-It f-felt…It f-felt like I-I-I w-was—"

"Stop…It's okay," Yugi gently hushed, while Noah leaned into Téa next to him. Yugi gently gripped and massaged Noah's shoulder, "It's okay…You're safe now…"

Noah shuddered, but Mai straightened, "Was anything said _to_ you–? That might explain how you spoke in your sleep."

Noah looked off, but then took another deep breath, "Th-Those things that started pulling down on me…th-they said something about how the 'Master of Darkness revived the Master of Death'…they k-kept saying I had to help, o-or something…"

He straightened when Yugi looked between Joey, Tristan, and Téa, all exchanging worried and knowing glances.

Noah's brows furrowed, and he lifted his head, "Wh-What–? What is it?"

Yugi frowned, giving Noah's shoulder a small squeeze, "Not tonight…you've been through enough tonight. C'mon, I'll help you back to bed…"

While the others began talking in hushed tones, Yugi helped Noah to get back up the stairs and to his bedroom. Noah was silent, up until he was sitting in bed and Yugi stood to leave.

He took his father's hand, hesitating before looking up at Yugi, "C-Can…you stay a bit longer…?"

Yugi straightened, but offered a weak smile and nodded, "Of course…"

He sat up by the wall, hanging onto Noah's hand while Noah moved to lie down; he didn't fall asleep right away, instead leaning his head onto Yugi's lap.

"I'm scared," Noah finally admitted in a whisper, "I don't understand any of this…Why _me_ …?"

Yugi frowned, though he smiled bitterly soon after, "I've wondered that same thing my whole life…"

He looked down at Noah, the bitterness easing out of his smile, "It'll get better…It always does…"

Blue eyes looked up at him, "But _when_?"

It made Yugi's heart clench at seeing the fear and pain in Noah's eyes, but he smiled sadly and ran a hand through the blond locks, "I can't answer that…as much as it hurts to wait—things _do_ get better…they always have…But it still hurts in the meantime. I'm sorry."

Noah frowned and got himself up enough so that he could lean his head against his father's shoulder, and finally let his eyes close. At some point he fell asleep; being right up next to Yugi seemed to help any leftover pain and fear to ease out of his system.

And once the adrenaline wore off, he fell into dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Should you have come to school today, Noah? I mean, our parents told us about the rough night…"

Sarah and Jessie stood by Noah's desk while he sat back on it; he had light circles under his eyes, and he looked a bit tense still. Plus, he seemed a bit pale. (Although, anyone else in class who gave him a weird look received glares from Sarah and Jessie in return.)

"Might as well," Noah replied quietly, soon sighing, "I-I've missed enough days, and I'm, I'm falling behind on work again…"

"But you look really ill," Jessie argued, brows furrowing, "Maybe you should go to the nurse?"

He only shook his head, and their next teacher entered the room; they handed in homework and returned to their seat, but then the teacher called Noah back up to the front shortly after handing in his assignment.

"Mr. Mutou, while I appreciate over-achieving," She replied, voice a bit nasally, "I would still like to be able to _read_ your work."

He straightened, "I-I beg your pardon–?"

She showed him the paper, and his brows arched; he couldn't read it either, whether it was in hieroglyphics _or_ Arabic.

He subtly cleared his throat, taking the paper back, "I-I…Sorry, Lin-sensei, I—I-I must've been half-asleep while I was doing the work, and, and mixed things in my head a bit."

Lin gave a nod, "Well, if you can 'translate' it for me and hand it in today, I won't count it as late."

He gave a nod, but as he walked back over to his desk, he mentally panicked.

' _I can't even_ _ **read**_ _this, let alone translate it!'_ He tried to hide a cringe as he sat down, _'I had a hard enough time doing this assignment this morning, what am I gonna_ _ **do**_ _…!?'_

" _Let me take over, I can do it."_

Noah jumped subtly, and while the rest of the class began individual study, he secretly laid a hand to the Puzzle, while taking up a pencil to at least give the impression that he was working as well.

' _Wait, what, what do you mean–?'_

" _You can't read it, but I can,"_ He felt Atem's presence come up nearby him, _"You_ _ **did**_ _do the assignment, it's just written in Egyptian. I can translate it for you without anyone knowing I took over. It isn't cheating—the assignment_ _ **is**_ _there."_

Noah pressed his lips for a moment, glancing upward before gently closing his eyes for a moment, _'All right…but—but be careful, okay?'_

It was a very tiny, subtle flash from the Puzzle, and then Noah opened his eyes again; except, "Noah's" blue eyes were suddenly a deep violet.

Atem straightened, glancing around before looking back to the page. He took a spare piece of Noah's paper, and then began translating it from ancient Egyptian to Japanese. He tried to mimic Noah's handwriting as best as he could, but that was why he had the separate piece of paper; at the very least, perhaps he could write down the translation and Noah could copy it over.

At least…all except one line. It was also in Egyptian, but it wasn't a part of the assignment, not at all. It translated over to 'Darkness revived the Dead, the Dead brings about the Darkness.'

It had to be in relation to the previous night, so Atem copied it and translated it onto another, smaller piece of paper, stowing it away in his pocket.

Except, then the teacher—Mrs. Lin—called the class to attention, and Atem jumped before straightening, and then tried to relax his shoulders.

' _Noah…! We need to switch,_ _ **now**_ _…!'_

Except, what he heard made him straighten. It was Noah's voice, but it…was speaking in ancient Egyptian–?

Atem's brows furrowed, _'Noah…?'_

"Mr. Mutou?"

Atem looked up and over; he hadn't even noticed the rest of the class had filtered out already. Still, he took a deep breath and got Noah's things; he'd done this for Yugi before, he could do it for Noah.

"I—had to redo the assignment on a separate page; I hope you don't mind–?" He asked politely, glad Noah's voice still sounded the same [and was in the proper language].

She gave a small shrug, "Quite all right. As long as it's the same assignment."

However, then she double-checked his face; when her gaze lingered too long, he straightened and took it as his cue to leave before questions were asked.

"Excuse me—goodbye," He said hastily before hurrying from the room.

Then he started scanning the hall, grip tightening on Noah's bag. It was obvious Noah was still present and all right, but it seemed he couldn't respond to Atem, and it would be rather difficult if they switched and Noah was still rambling on in Egyptian tongue.

He had to find Yugi. Or _one_ of the others, but he had to find _someone_. Actually, he found _two_ someones.

Rather abruptly, he came over to Jessie and Sarah, taking each by the arm. After each gave a terse gasp, he hastily replied, "I need your help—I have to find Yugi."

Each girl was startled momentarily, but then Sarah's brows furrowed as she whispered back, "Find ' _Yugi'?_ Atem–?"

"Yes—I don't have time to explain."

"We don't know where he's at, though," Jessie explained, motioning down the hall, "Our part with him ended hours ago, he could be just finishing up teaching in another classroom, or—"

"It doesn't matter, this is urgent," Atem said, looking between them, "There's something going on with Noah, something that started during the last class."

"Is he okay–?" Jessie asked, eyes widening.

"He's fine, as far as I can tell—but I can't communicate with him, he's only rambling in Egyptian. I don't think he can hear me."

"But he _can't_ speak Egyptian, can he?" Sarah questioned, straightening her shoulders.

"No, he can't."

Jessie then looked back to Atem, "But can't you just switch back with him anyway? I mean—maybe he fell asleep when you switched and that's what triggered it, so maybe the switch might jolt him awake?"

His brows furrowed briefly, however then he hummed and looked between them, "I don't know—but I don't think there's much of a choice."

He put a hand to the Puzzle, briefly closing his eyes; the mumbling-like slur he'd been hearing from Noah—still recognized as ancient Egyptian—just _stopped_ suddenly. At first, he thought it was the 'jolt' Jessie had mentioned, but when he still retained control and didn't hear anything more from Noah, his eyes snapped open.

"I can't switch with him…!" He replied in a harsh whisper, clutch tightening on the Puzzle, "I can't even hear him anymore…!"

Jessie abruptly took his arm, "What do you mean?—Y-You only said you couldn't communicate with him–!"

Sarah motioned down the hall, "Wherever Yugi is, we need his help—we can check the staff room first. Or maybe his office."

The two nodded, and they hurried down the hallway.


	20. Part 20

Jessie was first to reach the door, knocking a few times while calling out "Yugi! Someone please, open up, it's an emergency!"

The door opened just as Sarah and Atem got to the door as well, and Yugi's whole body was tense.

"What happened, what emergency?" His eyes darted between each face, "Did something happen to Noah–?"

" _Yes,"_ Atem replied, moving past Jessie so that Yugi could see his eyes.

When he did, he straightened, and glanced back into the office before giving a nod. "We need to move somewhere else, there's three other teachers in here."

As soon as they had found an empty classroom and locked the door, Yugi frowned again, whipping around to Atem. "What happened?"

"I can't switch back with him," Atem immediately explained. "I had taken over at the beginning of the class, translated an assignment that Noah ended up writing out in ancient Egyptian, couldn't communicate with him, and _now_ I can't switch with him at all."

"How could the assignment have been in _Egyptian_ –?"

"It might've been subconscious, after last night. When Noah said he couldn't read it, I took over only partially so that I could fix it for him. Right after I did, I could only hear him mumbling in Egyptian tongue and he wouldn't respond to me."

Yugi frowned for a moment, running a hand through his hair as he looked off, before looking back to Atem. "Was there _anything_ else? About Noah, or–or–maybe about the assignment?"

Atem was about to respond, but then straightened and dug through a pocket instead, pulling out the separate page that he'd written the 'extra' line on.

"This had been written with everything else on the assignment," He replied, showing Yugi the message: _'Darkness revived the Dead, the Dead brings about the Darkness.'_

"Noah wrote it, Yugi," Atem replied quietly, not looking away from him, "This is almost _exactly_ what was told to him, in his nightmare last night—I know it."

Yugi stared at the message for a moment, painfully tense. For a second, he said nothing.

He took in a shaky breath, and then looking to Sarah and Jessie, calmly. "Can you girls wait outside for a minute…?"

Atem was surprised by how quiet Yugi had suddenly become, but the girls nodded and slipped outside the door with worried glances before Yugi locked it again.

After another moment of silence, Yugi spoke over his shoulder, "This would be a lot easier if I was looking at _you_ , instead of Noah."

Atem straightened, arching a brow before putting a hand to the Puzzle. After it gave off a bright glow, Noah's form disappeared, and Atem stood before Yugi. He still couldn't hear Noah.

Then Atem's brows furrowed. "Yugi…?"

Taking in a breath, Yugi turned around to him, not bothering to hide the shake in his voice anymore. "You know exactly who's behind this as well as I do."

Atem straightened, before he glared off at the floor. _"Anubis._ His eye had shown itself to Noah, last night…It's why he was starting to feel the sensation of death, his soul splitting from his body…"

"What does _he_ want with him?" Yugi snapped, "Isn't it bad enough that Zorc claims Noah has something of his, now the _god of Death_ has something to do with him?"

"Zorc could have brought _in_ Anubis, Yugi; we have no idea what he wants. Anubis could have his own reasoning."

Yugi turned away again, running his hands through his hair as he walked down an aisle of empty seats in the room.

Atem's brows were still furrowed as he watched Yugi. "This…isn't anything new for us."

"It is for _him,"_ Yugi snapped again.

It was quiet for a moment, as Atem registered who Yugi was talking about; he opened his mouth to respond, except he really had no idea what Yugi was thinking about. He remained silent, frowning.

Yugi stopped between two seats, hands lightly laying over the wood of the desks. "After we had laid you to rest, I…I thought I would just…move on with everything. I thought things would be _different_ —'boring,' even, after you left…I missed you, and I know the rest of the gang missed you, but…but I was so _relieved_ that you were at peace, and that we could each move on with our lives…"

Atem's shoulders fell a little, and he looked down at the floor himself. "That…had been the intention…"

Yugi lifted his head, staring at the back wall. "I thought, whenever I saw you again, it would be on _our_ terms, after I had passed away, or if—i-if anything had happened to me earlier on…I hadn't—totally planned on having a _family_ , necessarily…"

He leaned forward on the desks, voice quieting. "And then Téa and I got married, when she came home from America after graduation…and…we had Noah not long after that. I won't call it an accident; Téa was going on about having a dream of this sweet, shy little boy calling her 'mom'…It took a long time for me to accept that—that I was going to be a _father_ …Once it did settle in, once I saw his face after he was born…I wanted to protect him. I wanted to teach him how to be _strong_ , how to be kind and determined in the face of darkness. I…"

He bowed his head, voice cracking. "I…wanted to be someone he could be _proud_ of…"

Atem straightened, but kept quiet, eyes narrowing.

"And then the damn pendant happened," Yugi snapped at the floor, punching one of the desks, "That _damn_ pendant, and my own carelessness not to just get rid of it—all the time I had ignored him, all the time he had relied on me and I shoved it back into his face…He hated me for it, and I deserved it. I disappeared, he thought I left, he hated me more, and I _still_ deserve every bit of it. But…" His head bowed further down, "I…I was so happy when he said he didn't want me to leave…when I finally admitted everything…when I finally gave up the pendant…I felt like myself again for the first time, thanks to him…But then…all _this_ …! With Zorc and now Anubis, these nightmares, how much pain it's putting him in…!"

Yugi finally whipped around to Atem, surprising him with how tense he was and the fear in his eyes. "What am I supposed to _do_ , Atem…!? How am I supposed to protect him from some—some demon that's poisoning his mind, heart, and soul, that I can't see—how can I make up for the past ten years that I haven't _been_ here, what can I do to try and help him–!? All I can do is watch him suffer through it, I can try to comfort him, I can try _everything_ , but I'm still _doing_ _ **nothing**_ _! I can't 'do'_ _ **anything**_ _!_ "

Atem's frown deepened, about to speak, but Yugi turned away again while running his hands through his hair once more. "I'm _terrified_ that I could lose him one night, that he might not wake up from one of these nightmares—Téa's been afraid to go to sleep, and I—I-I just keep thinking of 'what if he doesn't come back,' what if I can't help him next time, what if he—h-he—"

A pair of arms wrapped around his middle, a head lying against his shoulder. Yugi was surprised for a minute by the change of character in Atem.

" _Please, stop…"_ The hold tightened just a little, "Please, Dad…just stop…"

Yugi sighed heavily in relief and turned around, hugging Noah properly, though he still shook all over and his voice was still thick with emotion. "Oh my God—thank God…Are you okay–? What happened? Why couldn't Atem reach you–?"

Noah didn't respond at first, just hugging Yugi tightly. When he finally drew in a breath, he leaned back; Yugi was relieved to see Noah's blue eyes, but grew distressed to see it looked like Noah was near-tears.

Noah shook his head. "Dad…I don't _hate_ you. I never really hated you—I-I was mad that night, I was a _kid,_ I didn't know any better…but I never _hated_ you. I know now that you didn't mean for anything to happen, that it—it was all just a mistake. A big mistake. I always thought it was _my_ fault. And you've been doing so much for me now. Do you know how it feels that I can finally go to you again? Like I used to as a kid, when I had a bad day and you'd be waiting for me? I'm so _relieved_ that I can go home and see you there—and at school, too. I know, with…with everything going on, it…I-I'm still not…quite 'right,' but…but everything helps. When I _can_ wake up, and see you and mom and everyone…even Atem. I just…feel more… _whole_. It gets closer to being…good."

Yugi frowned, brows furrowing again before Noah straightened, "I-I'll be fine. I-I…think. I know what just happened, but…but I honestly don't know _how_ it happened. I…I switched with Atem, and…uhm…H-He did the assignment, right? I just…maybe I blacked out? I-I can't…really remember…"

Yugi suddenly hugged Noah again, tense again.

Noah jumped, but returned the gesture, frowning. "I-I'm…sorry…that I don't remember…"

"Don't apologize," Yugi replied immediately, softly, "It's okay. We'll…just…figure it out…eventually…"

Noah frowned himself, tightening his hold.

In a misty, black abyss, within clouds of darkness and poisonous energies, a shape began to form.

It looked like a tome: a breathing, alive-like scroll that had a roving, ruby eye and strange hieroglyphics over the outside of it. Eying the male before it, a voice emitted from it, the eye glowing red.

" _See my current form, mortal…? Pitiful, isn't it…? You will find this form, this 'book,' in the real world…You are nothing but a pawn, to find this 'book.' And when you do, you will open it, and speak the ancient text."_

Hands reached forward, but not before another wisp of darkness wrapped around the wrists, pulling them back, acting as chains.

" _ **Oh, really?"**_ Another dark voice mocked the tome, before speaking to the mortal, _**"Will you bring DEATH into the mortal world, then…? Will you bring despair and death upon your loved ones? If you know better, you will destroy this book when you find it. Or, perhaps you will use it against yourself…? Destroy the Book, and yourself, to finish things…?"**_

" _You stay out of this! You brought me here, now I will move forward with my plans…! I_ _ **will**_ _be resurrected…!"_ The tome ordered, a separate wisp of red energy wrapping around the neck and becoming an invisible choker around the flesh, _"You will do as I say…!"_

" _ **You will NOT,"**_ The darkness also wrapped tighter around the wrists, though actually made small cuts into the flesh, _**"Unless you desire to bring death to your loved ones?"**_

While the two forces, death and darkness, tugged on his mind, Noah felt numb, unaware of the orders laid before him despite feeling sick and heavy-hearted.

His eyes narrowed. _'Find…a book…? But…this doesn't…feel right…what…?'_

His mind felt scattered and jumbled, his nerves numbed. He couldn't even tell if he was asleep or not anymore. It felt like everything was spiraling downward and he was suffocating.

' _Find…the book…'_


	21. Part 21

_((_ _ **NOTE**_ _: MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING for indications of self harm in this part! Please read at your own discretion!))_

* * *

Quietly sitting in a small part of the back of Noah's mind that he could still access, Atem looked off in thought while trying to process his current 'situation.' He had first thought that, perhaps, Yugi's outburst had worried Noah to the point of wanting to close everyone out again. But he wasn't sure if that was truly the case; in fact, it seemed more likely that it wasn't.

That night, after Yugi had admitted how he still felt guilty for having been gone, how helpless he felt, Noah had been a great deal more relaxed and open. He had even taken the time to go through his deck with Yugi, something the two hadn't done together since Noah was maybe _six_.

No, it was _afterwards_ that something had happened, while Noah had been asleep.

Atem had lost communication with Noah again, but for a much shorter time. It had been for only a few minutes, but when he got through to Noah, he seemed fine—physically, anyway.

Except, all of a sudden, he had closed Atem off to many of the deep parts of his subconscious where he would normally wander to give Noah some 'privacy of mind.' Not only did it make it seem like he wanted Atem in his "mind's eye" at all times, but it was extremely secretive.

And when Atem tried to question Noah on it, he only replied that he didn't know what Atem was talking about, or that he was tired and couldn't open up that much at the moment.

'Tired'…Atem sighed. Noah had used that a _lot_ lately, and more as an excuse. He wasn't tired. His energy was being drained. By what, Atem had no idea; he had no way of checking.

Though, Atem _had_ noticed that, whenever Yugi had gone over to KaibaCorp for an update on any information Mokuba might've found, Noah kept asking to accompany him. Thankfully, it seemed that Yugi understood how something was off. Usually, he could make up an excuse as to why Noah shouldn't accompany him. Atem also noticed Yugi kept a close eye on Noah as well. At school, especially, where Noah seemed the most out-of-it and fatigued.

Atem ran a hand through his hair as his eyes narrowed in thought. This couldn't have _all_ be Zorc's doing. The monster wanted something from Noah; he had no desire to kill him, at least not yet. And then there was Anubis…the god of death certainly had some influence in the current state of things, but was it _that_ much?

Only once did something connect through their shared minds that Atem could get an idea that something was amiss; a book. _The_ book, from how it sounded. It had been a small thought Noah had let slip, something robotic and quiet that he had obviously been trying to hide. Atem immediately tried to press, but to no avail. He knew this 'book' had something to do with Noah's current state, but he had no way of knowing how. Noah wouldn't switch with him anymore, and he would barely talk to him.

Atem sighed, very subtly tapping on Noah's subconscious to let him know he was there if he was needed.

* * *

Noah had only laid his head down for a minute, but when he felt the subconscious 'tap,' it vaguely startled him awake. It was a small break in the day for his class, and Noah noticed his father glancing over at him again before looking over papers.

Sitting back, Noah sighed shallowly, shakily. He didn't give Atem a response, but not from lack of wanting to. He couldn't explain it himself. Noah knew by now that Atem only wanted to help him. He was his friend. He didn't want to hurt him.

But that was exactly why he had closed off some more…pivotal parts of his subconscious.

Noah couldn't remember the 'vision' of sorts that he'd had, but he had felt heavy-hearted, cold, and tired all the time ever since. He couldn't remember what had happened to make him become so, especially after things had been going so well.

He knew two things, and that was all he could focus on, lately: Finding some "book," and not saying a word of it to anyone. He could remember being threatened, that if he found this "book," everyone he cared about would be hurt in some way. But if he didn't find it, then _he_ would get hurt in some way. Neither was a pleasant option.

So, all he could do was force himself not to care. He'd been good at doing so for ten years now, but after having met Atem, Yugi coming home again, learning a bit more about himself…it was hard to keep up the "act" at this point.

"Noah?"

Curly, light-blonde locks fell into his line of sight, and he straightened, a bit more 'awake' now.

Even with the fatigue and mental-drain Noah felt lately, he still found it warming when Jessie came up to him, tilting her head to the side as she usually did, her usually-dazy brown eyes focusing on his presently-hazy blue ones.

"Rough night…?" She asked softly, brows furrowed as she leaned back on the desk chair behind her.

It took him a moment to process the question, but then Noah gave a quiet groan and ran a hand over one side of his face as he sat back up.

"S-Sort of…? I-I'm just not getting enough sleep," He replied, equally as soft, though it was also in avoidance.

Jessie frowned, before folding her hands before her. "Well…Sarah and I were thinking about hanging out downtown this Sunday, maybe catch a movie. Would you like to join us?"

Noah was quiet briefly, and he felt a small, subconscious kick telling him to say yes.

"Thanks, but…n-no thanks, Jessie," He heard himself say, registering her frown before frowning himself, "I-I don't think I'd be much 'fun' to be around, right now…"

She didn't seem convinced. "That's not true. You've been loads of fun before. You just…haven't been talking to me, lately. Or anyone else, really."

He winced. Then her hand fell over his own; the contrast of warmth to cold was startling for both of them, but she only took his hand tighter.

" _Please,_ Noah?" She asked again, though there was a slight, stern edge, "I'm worried about you. I think you need to be around people—and we just want to help you."

He gazed at their hands for a moment, debating in all honesty, but some invisible force cut the debate short, along with a small clenching feeling on his throat.

"No, thank you, Jessie," Noah answered monotonously, letting his hand slip from hers and bringing it closer to himself.

She was a bit surprised and hurt by his answer, but then Yugi called the class back; she frowned at him one more time, but then went back to her seat. Noah gazed at the wooden desk blankly, feeling like he wanted to say something else, and yet remained silent.

" _This is getting ridiculous."_

He jumped subtly, just hearing Yugi tell the class to get out their books and open to a specific page, although his brows also furrowed, recognizing who was talking to him.

' _Wh-What is–?'_

" _You,"_ Atem answered harshly, and Noah could see him in his peripheral vision. He was surprised to see a faint glare.

Noah turned his attention to the page with a small glare of his own. _'Good to know. I'm supposed to be studying…?'_

" _You've been avoiding_ _ **everyone**_ _lately, even me. And that's_ _ **saying**_ _something,"_ Atem continued on, before Noah could shut him out. _"You haven't been talking to Yugi, you've barely even been around your mother, and you won't talk to me about what's wrong. And there is obviously something very_ _ **wrong**_ _, Noah."_

Noah's grip on his arm tightened just a bit as they crossed on his desk. He wasn't even _reading_ the page at this point. _'I didn't realize you were a_ _ **therapist**_ _, too. What do you_ _ **want**_ _from me?'_

" _ **Words**_ _?"_ Atem replied, voice still harsh, _"An explanation? A sign? Something to tell me what's_ _ **wrong**_ _, so that I can at least know how to keep it from hurting you!"_

' _Nothing's hurting me.'_

" _You're_ _ **lying**_ _!"_

' _I am not!'_

" _Noah, you can't hide this from me! You've been keeping me from your deeper subconscious for_ _ **days**_ _now! I know you're lying, I know you're hurting, and I know that you're isolating yourself to_ _ **death**_ _!"_

" _ **SHUT UP**_ _!"_

It was silent for a moment.

It was not the first time Noah had burst out, in midst of one of his and Atem's conversations. Except, this had been a _loud_ shout, a harsh one, directing attention of the entire class.

Yugi, staring in shock and knowing this had been a part of a different conversation (argument) other than his lecture, tried to bring lightness back into the room.

"I know it's rather boring to go over the Roman Empire, but I'm afraid I don't have a choice," He replied in a soft, flat tone.

Only a few chuckles had responded to his words, but there was still a tense atmosphere around Noah. Jessie and Sarah watched his back in shock, each glancing at Yugi for him to do something.

Except, Noah then bolted from the room, swiftly and silently, avoiding eye contact as he slipped between desks and slammed the door open.

"Noah–?" Yugi set his own book down, surprised by the flee, though he glanced at the class right after, "Uhm—Read—Read the rest of the chapter to yourselves, please. I-I'll be right back."

There was no argument with his words, and Yugi went out and closed the door, much gentler. He grew a bit distressed as he tried to see which direction Noah had gone off in.

Away down the hall, Noah strode blindly while clutching onto something in his pant pocket.

Meanwhile, Atem lingered at his side, still retaining his glare. _"You can't_ _ **run**_ _this time, Noah! You need to talk to me, you need to get this out in the open!"_

He received no response this time, though he finally noticed the hold Noah had in his pocket. _"What've you got there? What are you doing?"_

Finally, Noah slipped into a restroom, closing the door with another slam and moving into a large stall, and then pounded a fist against the wall. Atem watched him warily, surprised from the sudden aggression.

Then there was another swift movement. Noah wrenched the sleeve of his jacket and long-sleeved shirt up, before taking out what had been in his pocket: One of Téa's smaller kitchen knives, just small enough to hide and sharp enough to cut.

Simultaneously, as Noah tried to bring the blade across the flesh of his wrist, Atem lunged forward, grabbing Noah's wrists and shouting _"No,_ _ **stop**_ _–!"_

Noah fought against him, sobbing and hyperventilating, hissing out _"Get off me"_ a couple times while Atem tried his best to influence Noah's muscles into letting go of the knife.

" _Noah, stop! Please! You don't know what you're—"_

He stopped short. Noah's normally-blue irises were milky and blank, a red spark in the pupil that grew brighter as they looked off blindly.

" _Noah–?"_ Atem's eyes were wide.

He heard the restroom door open and he had never been more grateful to see Yugi rush in, and take his place in restraining Noah. Though, having corporeal strength, Yugi managed to quickly get Noah to drop the knife, and then he held Noah back against the wall to restrain him.

"Noah—Noah, you need to calm down—" Yugi tried to tell him, "This isn't right, this isn't you, you _have_ to come back–! _Now!"_

" _Get off!"_ Noah tried to yell at him, though his voice became hoarse suddenly. He gave a small sob.

"Noah, please, remember where you're at! You're safe, you're okay! Listen to my voice, try to push against whatever's hurting you!"

" _Nothing's hurting me!"_ Noah argued back, just as he had Atem, though his struggles were getting weaker.

"Yes, something _is!_ It's making you try to hurt yourself, isn't it? Whatever it is, you _have_ to fight it! _Now!_ I know you can, I've seen you do it!"

Perhaps whatever was influencing Noah had been trying to get him to lunge at Yugi, to fight him, but the result was Noah simply falling against his father limply, sobbing in relief.

Yugi gave a breath of relief himself, slumping to sit back on his legs as he held Noah close, his hold tight. "Okay good…good—you're okay, now…It's okay…It's okay…!"

" _N-No—"_

He jumped at Noah's sobbed response, and Noah gave a shake of his head. _"H-He w-won't—_ _ **stop**_ _—n-not—n-not until I-I—I-I—"_ A sob left him, but then pounded the floor pitifully, _"_ _ **I don't know where the hell it is**_ _, wh-why–!? Wh-Why c-can't he leave m-me alone–!?"_

Atem stiffened at this, kneeling down and looking over Noah's tear-streaked face. _"_ _ **What**_ _, Noah? What does He need you to find?"_

Yugi glared at Atem's incorporeal form in warning. "Atem—"

" _Wait, Yugi, please—I promise, this might help,"_ Atem looked back to Noah, _"Is it a_ _ **book**_ _, Noah? Does he want you to find a book—a scroll?"_

It took a moment, but Noah nodded. Yugi jumped, but Atem leaned in closer. _"For who? Who wants you to find a scroll, Noah? Is it Zorc–?"_

A furious shake of the head.

" _Anubis–? Is it Anubis?"_

This time, Noah gave a weaker sob and looked up at Atem. The drained, distressed gaze sent a shiver down Atem's spine.

" _Yes…"_ Noah whimpered out, gaze turning apologetic, _"Th-The…Book of the Dead…He wants—m-me t-to…r-read it…a-and…use m-me as—"_

"That's enough," Yugi cut in tersely, bringing Noah closer to him, growing distressed himself, "No more right now. No more…you just need to rest. You need to rest…"

Noah dissolved into small whimpers at that point, hanging onto Yugi, while Atem looked off in thought. He understood exactly what Noah was trying to tell him; if Anubis had implanted some 'command' to Noah for him to find the Book of the Dead, it meant the god of death was attempting to revive himself.

…And from how it sounded, he planned on using Noah's body to do it.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Mokuba sat in the computer room of KaibaCorp Headquarters, having cleared his search for the fifth time that night and trying a different angle.

As 'careless' as Seto seemed about the situation, a whole separate team had been set aside for searching for anything connected to the thefts, or to Noah, be it past experiences or anything revolving around the Mutou family. Mokuba may not have known Noah too well yet, but he knew Yugi, and he knew any child of Yugi's wasn't raised to cause problems or commit crimes.

A small _'ping!'_ drew his attention to an email he received that moment; one of their own excavation teams—that Yugi had once been a part of—had been continuing on the same investigation that had been halted ten years earlier with their Head's disappearance. Mokuba had yet to get around to telling the man about it being continued.

However, it seemed the group had indeed found something; it was an old scroll, carved out in ancient Egyptian, with an eye similar to the that of the Puzzle's on the seal.

Mokuba's brows furrowed.

' _How did_ _ **this**_ _get here…?'_


	22. Part 22

((Sorry for such a long gap between posting! Life is crazy for me :b But to make up for it, 2-part posting this time. They kind of go together anyway. Hard to believe there's only four parts left after these two, huh? Enjoy!))

* * *

It was a startling change from white to black; it was the first time a dream had been so unsettling for Jessie. She'd had strange dreams before, but she had never been _fully_ aware of them. After all, she hardly ever remembered them. At first, it started the same, some white fuzziness in place of what had been there before (that she could never remember later, hence the white). But then it grew darker, until suddenly shifting to a pitch black.

Then, it formed into a sort of musky hallway. Before she could stop to question anything, despite how strange and heavy the atmosphere felt, her feet carried her down the hall to a pure-white door with a shining gold handle. It felt vaguely familiar somehow, but she seemed hesitant to open the door. Something seemed to be _growing_ out of the wood, a strange eye that seemed similar to the Eye on the Millennium Puzzle, with a ruby eye instead of gold.

' _What…_ _ **is**_ _that…?'_ She could remember thinking to herself.

Only, when she finally reached for the handle, black vines sprouted from the wood and wrapped around the gold, hiding it from view.

She stumbled back, trembling when the vines turned the handle on their own. For a moment, she considered just running back down the hall and hopefully back towards _real life,_ but her feet felt locked in place. When the door swung open, it creaked loudly, showing more darkness and a smoke-like mist that covered the ground with chilly air like dry ice.

And then she saw another form in the room, sort of humanoid, if she imagined hard enough. She couldn't help clutching at the sudden stitch in her chest, like a weight was pressing on her heart. The figure was dripping black ooze, refusing to leave the room, but turned a glowing red eye towards her.

" _ **You…"**_ Its screech-like voice made her cringe, _**"I have seen you in His memories…!"**_

Jessie's brows furrowed, and she wanted to ask whose memory, but her voice fell silent. It felt like she was growing numb all over, and then the black form grew larger before it split apart.

She gasped, eyes wide as her hands flew over her mouth to hold in a scream; within the black oozing figure seemed to be Noah, except it seemed like something was being drained from his neck into the ooze. Furthermore, it looked like the ooze was leaking out of his mouth and eyes. He was far too pale, and completely unconscious.

The figure's glowing eye grew brighter, rasping out, _**"You…are one of many, keeping me from achieving my goal…! I will not let you interfere HERE, too…! BEGONE!"**_

A sudden rush of dark mist blew against her, forcing her back down the hallway, though she tried to keep her feet planted against the stone, clutching onto the stony floor with a hand in a vain attempt. Noah was in danger; it seemed Atem wasn't able to get to him, not like this, and she was the only one who could see it. She had to stay. She had to. She had to…!

" _Noah!"_ She finally yelled out, before screaming as she was forced down the hallway and out of sight.

* * *

" _ **NO**_ _!"_

Noah bolted up to sit in his bed, looking out at the wall with wide eyes.

This had _not_ been the first time he'd been startled awake from a nightmare, one of his 'visions' or something of the sort, but this one was different. It had _felt_ like there was another person there. It _looked_ like Jessie had been there. How, or why, Noah had no idea, but he was wide-awake now.

" _PRNG–!"_

Although, his cell phone going off drew out another gasp from him, and he picked it up with a shaking hand before checking the ID.

Clearing his throat, he answered with a small, shaky, "H-Hello–?"

" _Noah?"_

The voice on the other line startled him, though it more surprised him that it sounded near-tears.

" _Please say something, please,"_ Jessie then pleaded, voice a whisper and shaky herself.

Noah shook himself from the surprise, hold on his phone tightening a little. "A-Are you okay?"

' _What a stupid question,'_ he thought, though he then asked her "Are—Are you hurt at all, right now–?"

She breathed out in relief, though it also sounded like she was still shaken. _"N-No, I-I'm fine, I-I…I-I just thought…when I saw you there…a-and that_ _ **thing**_ _, I…"_

"Thing?" Noah straightened, "Wh-What _thing?_ I-I could only hear _you."_

She was quiet for a moment, however then took in a shaken breath, before replying, _"Noah, I want you to come over for a bit. We need to talk."_

He straightened, brows furrowed while he glanced at the clock. "J-Jessie, it's—"

" _I'm not asking this time, Noah, I'm_ _ **telling**_ _. This is too important. We live down the street from the café, block thirty-three."_

The sternness and worry in her tone still startled him; he was used to her light, airy, ditzy voice that always sounded far-away and lost in a daydream. This was…serious.

He swallowed hard, before nodding. "O-Okay, okay…W-Will your parents mind–?"

" _I think it'll be fine,"_ She replied, a bit softer now that he'd given his word, _"I'll see you in a bit."_

"All right…"

Noah got up, noting that it was a little after midnight, though got dressed in a hoodie and jeans and his sneakers before slipping out the front door.

He was surprised, though, that he had yet to hear anything from Atem, even after putting the Puzzle around his neck. He figured Atem would've jumped on-board immediately, after what had happened at school a few days earlier.

Except, the opposite had occurred after that moment; Noah couldn't even sense Atem's presence anymore—though it was definitely _there_ —and hardly spoke with him. Then again, Noah supposed it was to be expected; Atem had been pretty upset with him before for being so secretive. He shouldn't expect him to talk to him _that_ easily.

Noah was at Jessie's apartment before he realized it; he wondered if he should knock, seeing as he wasn't sure if Joey or Mai were up.

Instead, he leaned over to the crack between the door and the frame, brows furrowing. _"Jessie–?"_

The door was wrenched open, and Jessie came at him in a hug, giving him just enough time to stabilize himself before they could fall over. And then she started _crying._ He was surprised by the reaction, a bit awkward in how he should handle it; at the very least, he returned the embrace, trying to comfort her a little.

After a bit, she drew back and had him come in, making him rigid, and then brought him over to the couch.

"Mom and Dad sleep really hard, so we should be fine," She said in a shaky whisper, sniffing once and wiping at her face.

He watched her for a moment, before he moved a lock of her hair from her face, and his brows furrowed again. "Wh-What 'thing,' Jess? What did you need to tell me?"

She hesitated, and she looked like she might cry again, except then she steeled herself and looked to him sternly. "Have you…ever had Atem watch one of your nightmares–?"

He shrunk back a bit, turning his head down. "Not…recently. H-He hasn't been t-talking to me a lot, since…s-since I ran from class, the other day…"

No one else needed to know about the knife. That would just be kept to the three of them.

Jessie then straightened, face stern. "Noah, I was in a long, stone hallway. Then it got really dark and really stuffy; it felt like something was weighing on my heart. And then I came to this…white door. It had an _eye_ growing out of it, but it was like the eye on the Puzzle. And then the door opened by itself and there was this gross, black _thing_ waiting there and it said it saw me before, in 'his' memories, and I think it meant _yours_. And then its chest opened up and it showed you _inside it_ and it was—it was _draining something_ out of you, and it told me to leave you alone, because I was getting in the way of its 'goal,' or something."

Noah looked on with wide eyes, slightly disturbed. He never knew what those visions must look like on the outside, but it sounded…actually, it was disgusting.

"B-But…"

"I was so scared that thing was really _killing you_ …" She continued softly, before shaking her head, "Noah, I think that _thing_ I saw is what's _doing_ something to you, and it seems like its getting stronger the more you stay away from everyone."

Noah shifted in discomfort; Atem and Yugi had been saying that exact same thing. Now that Noah knew what it seemed to be coming from, he hadn't been purposefully isolating himself; he couldn't control it anymore. But it was a lot harder to fight it when he couldn't hear Atem, either.

Pressing his lips into a frown, he remained quiet; Jessie looked at him with furrowed brows in response. "…You already _know_. You already _know_ and you're _letting it_ hurt you."

He jumped, looking back with a light glare. "I'm not ' _letting it'_ do _anything._ I-I just…i-it, it's—"

"It scares you," She concluded, "And that's why you won't fight it."

Noah fell silent again, discomforted, but not debating it. When he didn't, she moved closer and hugged him again; this startled him, and a faint blush came into his cheeks, giving a small noise of discomfort.

"Well, if _you_ won't," She answered sternly, looking over at him while hugging him, "Then _I'll_ help. It wanted me to leave you alone, but I can't do that. You're my friend. And I don't want to lose you."

This shook him a bit, and he let go of a small, shallow exhale before putting a hand over her arms around him.

"I bet that's why you haven't heard from Atem," She mused quietly, "He's trying to fight this _thing_ in you…so that you _won't_ be so afraid. I bet he already knows about it, too, and he's just trying to give you space so you can _learn_ not to be afraid of this thing."

Noah pressed his lips into a frown again, unsure. Except, he _did_ see Atem in his peripheral vision at last, startling him.

Atem had his back to him at first, but it almost looked like he was watching for something. Then he glanced over to Noah over his shoulder, a stern gaze on his face before it softened, and he nodded once in agreement. He wasn't ignoring Noah; he was focusing everything on trying to protect him.

A shudder crept through Noah, and he was very quickly crumbling with relief. It seemed Jessie knew this, because she moved so that she could hug him closer, his head to her shoulder. As soon as it felt like a weight lifted from Noah's chest, he let a very quiet sob leave in an exhale, putting a hand to her waist, and her hold tightened around him.

"I know you don't want anyone to get hurt…" She whispered to him, "But it hurts more to see you in pain…and it hurts for you not to let us help. You can't do everything yourself, Noah."

He let go of another small sob, though this one was a bit heavier, and he returned the hug fully at last.

She smiled very weakly in satisfaction, and they sat back on the couch for now, in the quiet, just the two of them.

* * *

It was early that following morning that Joey's phone rang by his bedside, and he grumbled incoherently, before getting up to his forearms and reaching over to grab his phone.

"Whoever it is, it's five in the morning…" He grumbled.

" _Joey, Noah's gone."_

That woke him up.

Shooting upright, Joey was already shaking Mai awake while his eyes widened. "The _hell_ —How? Wh-Where's he–?"

" _I-I don't know,"_ He heard Yugi say, his voice shaking. He could tell he was trying to keep a brave face, most likely for Téa. _"He–He didn't come down, he isn't in his bedroom or anywhere else in the house, a-and there's no note anywhere."_

As Mai was just stirring, Joey gave a few distracted nods. "A-All right, all right, uhm—l-look, I'll—I'll get Tristan on the phone and he can meet me—we'll start looking around, okay?"

He pulled on his jacket as Yugi replied, _"Joey, I don't know if that's enough—something's wrong, something's_ _ **been**_ _wrong. You didn't see him three days ago, this is more serious than anything we've faced—I'm terrified that Noah did something stupid—"_

Joey frowned, pulling open the bedroom door to go grab his shoes. "Yugi, it'll be—"

He had just been heading for the front door, before he got to the living room area. For a moment, he was simply in stun; then he grew the slightest bit enraged.

On the sofa, a blanket over their forms, Noah and Jessie lay asleep, soundly from the looks of things. Noah was still in his hoodie, Jessie in her own sleepwear tucked against his chest, and he had her drawn close in embrace.

" _Joey?"_ Yugi questioned at the silence.

Joey donned a glare and his tone lost its softness. "Well, you're not wrong: he did somethin' stupid."

" _ **What**_ _!?—Where is he–!?"_

"Here," Joey moved a hand to his hip.

There was slight delay in Yugi's response, but it didn't sound like he was panicking anymore. _"W-Wait, what? H-He's over at your place? He's okay?"_

"For the moment, yes, at least till I get a'hold of 'im."

" _I'm—I'm not following."_

Joey turned away, glaring at the wall. "You taught your kid about 'no means no,' right?"

" _ **What**_ _–?"_

" _He's over here sleepin' with my daughter on my sofa, Yugi!"_ Joey finally hissed out.

For a moment, Yugi was quiet, before he replied with a breath of relief _"Oh…"_

He cleared his throat, repeated that Noah was okay to Téa, and then took a deep breath. _"I…I know it seems wrong, Joey, but something tells me it's not that serious…"_

"And I should believe that _because–?"_

" _Because Téa would kick him out of the house,"_ This did relax Joey a bit, _"Noah knows better. If anything, Jessie probably called him. Does he have the Puzzle on him?"_

Joey glanced back over, though he still saw red. "Yeah, I think. Don't make me look again; I'm still not happy."

" _Something tells me there's a good reason for him being there. I'd just ask him, when they wake up."_

"You're too chill about this, Yugi."

" _Joey, considering what's been going on lately, I just can't see Noah's mind being in that kind of place, okay? It's less that I think he's innocent, and more that I know he's not in a balanced-enough state right now to even_ _ **consider**_ _something like that. And Jessie knows better, too. There's a good reason for this. And I'm more relieved that Noah's_ _ **alive**_ _."_

Joey sighed finally, but ran a hand through his hair anyway. "Yeah, all right, I'll believe that last one…I'll make him call a bit later, okay…?"

" _Thanks…Go easy on him? He'll already be hearing it from Téa, later."_

Joey made a grumble-like noise, instead hanging up and going to stand by the table, watching the two sleep for a moment. If anything, it had nothing to do with Noah. Snarky, perhaps, but Noah was a good kid. He was _Yugi's_ kid, for stars' sake. But it was more that it was _his daughter._ _His_ little girl. There _would_ be words.

But for now, Joey huffed and sat at the table, letting them wake up on their own. In his mind, that _was_ going easy.


	23. Part 23

It had been one of the few nights recently that Noah had gotten a few hours of decent sleep; he couldn't quite remember all that had happened, at least not at first, but he found himself nestled up to another form on a sofa.

With recognition kicking in, Noah blinked himself awake, a bit groggy alongside the feeling that someone was watching him. (Though it was not _nearly_ as intrusive as it usually was.) The first he saw was a mess of blonde locks that seemed much more curly than usual with them being bedridden. A weak smile crossed his half-asleep face.

Just sitting with Jessie for that bit of time had made him feel much stronger than he'd been feeling the past couple weeks. And then…she'd said some things, too, that made him think all night. She sounded like…she really cared about him. _Did_ he care about her that way? _Could_ he? Was he far enough along for that? He couldn't even say the word…he didn't deserve it.

And then Atem _hadn't_ been ignoring him. He'd only been 'away,' temporarily, trying to protect him from some unseen force that was draining him so frequently. Perhaps the same force Jessie had described.

Speaking of unseen force, Noah still felt a set of eyes on him, but it didn't feel like this was Atem watching over him. It felt more like…someone physical, nearby, watching him.

Noah blinked a bit more, looking over Jessie's hair directly ahead to the table.

He locked gaze with another set of brown eyes, and said set glared at him as soon as he made eye contact.

Noah gave a silent gasp, wide-eyed and lurching to get up to a forearm when it registered he was looking at Joey. _"Holy—"_

Joey hushed him right away, pointing at Jessie. "Do _not_ wake her up."

Noah gulped dryly, glancing between Jessie and Joey, before his brows furrowed and he got out, "Th-This—uhm—i-it isn't—wh-what it looks like—!" He cringed as soon as the words left his mouth, flushing.

Joey arched a brow at him. "Try me."

There was hesitation, but Noah carefully picked his words as he gave a small nod, his cheeks still flushed in embarrassment. "I-I…J-Jessie had c-called me last night, a-after we both had the _same_ nightmare…I-I don't know how, b-but she s-saw things that I-I wasn't able to, a-and…a-and we talked a bit, and…a-and we just f-f-fell asleep at some point, _I swear."_

For a bit, all Joey did was stare at Noah; it _seemed_ like he believed him, but it was difficult to tell.

Then Joey sighed and glared lightly at Noah. "You're lucky your dad called first, earlier this mornin'. And by the way, ya scared him n' your ma to death."

Noah frowned, tilting his head down. "I-I…yeah…"

Joey straightened in the seat before standing up. "It's about ten now. As soon as Jess is up, I might actually _forget_ this," He motioned to the couch, "If ya promise to give your folks a call _soon_ and make sure they know you're okay."

Noah relaxed a bit, and nodded. "Yessir…"

Joey gave a small huff and went back into his bedroom; as soon as he left, and the door had shut, Noah slumped back with a heavy exhale of relief.

After a moment, he grumbled at Jessie. "And you made me face that alone _because…?"_

She opened her eyes, giving him a tired, apologetic smile. "Sorry…?"

He gave a scoff, but sunk down into the cushions next to her, mumbling, more to himself, "I want to prolong calling my 'folks' as long as possible…"

"Why? Your dad?"

"Nah…He's always been chill about stuff. It's my _mom_ I'm afraid of."

He sighed, though she then moved a hand to his hair and began fiddling with a lock of it. "You know…I don't think we ever finished talking last night…"

"Well, all things considered…I mean you _did_ call me at midnight."

"Noah, I mean it," She said sternly, "Promise me that you'll start _talking_ about this stuff more? About…what's hurting you, how you're really feeling?"

"I can't promise I _will_ ," He replied quietly, before shrugging, "But…I-I can promise I'll _try_. I-It's…really hard for me to put what I feel into words, Jess…"

"I know…but the fact that you're willing to try means a lot."

He turned his to look at her, just as she laid a light kiss to the bridge of his nose; for a moment, he stared at her in surprise, debating whether or not he should risk Joey's _full_ rage or not. Finding a compromise, he took her hand and very gently kissed her knuckles, before laying back as she nestled up to him again.

* * *

Either Yugi had handed the phone to Téa after answering it, or she had gotten to it first.

Noah cringed as he immediately heard _"Noah Solomon Mutou, you are in_ _ **so**_ _much trouble!"_

He let his mother go through saying how much he'd scared them, how irresponsible his up-and-leaving was, how scared she had been and how worried he'd made Yugi, and saying again how much trouble he'd be in when he got home.

Noah bowed his head, mentally swearing and waiting until Téa took a breath before finally being able to say, "I know, Mom, I know—I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't think I'd be gone all night, I-I thought—"

" _Gone all night doing_ _ **what**_ _–?"_ Téa then asked in a suspicious tone.

Noah bit his lip, before tentatively explaining. "W-Well…J-Jessie had called me over, a-after—"

" _You were over at Joey's place_ _ **all**_ _night?"_ She questioned, as if to see if he would change things.

" _Yes,_ I was, I swear. A-And I only left the house a little after midnight, I-I hadn't meant to _stay_ here…"

" _You do realize that we are_ _ **not**_ _finished here?"_ Téa warned him, _"In any other case, I would be_ _ **much**_ _more lenient,"_ Noah held in a scoff, _"But considering the kind of danger you've been in lately, this was_ _ **very**_ _irresponsible of you. I need to get ready for work, so you're gonna finish this with your father. And I better_ _ **see you**_ _when I get home later!"_

Noah sighed, frowning. "Yes, ma'am…"

She passed off the phone, saying something away from the receiver that he didn't pick up, and Noah sighed again with relief.

Though, the relief was short-lived when he heard Yugi's tone. _"You_ _ **do**_ _know I'm not happy with you, either, right…?"_

Noah sighed a bit more harshly, sitting down against kitchen cabinets. "I know-I know-I know…I-It wasn't _planned,_ and I-I just—"

" _You could have woken me up. If it was something important, like it sounds, I wouldn't have stopped you. At the very least a_ _ **note**_ _, Noah,_ _ **really**_ _."_

Noah hesitated a moment, before another sigh left him. "I-I…I-I didn't think…"

" _ **There**_ _it is,"_ Yugi replied flatly, _"You need to be more careful than that. Your mom's right—you need to be more responsible about taking care of yourself. All right?"_

"Yessir…"

" _Now, since you were already half-chewed out from your mom, how about instead you tell me in better detail_ _ **why**_ _Jessie 'told you' to come over…?"_

Noah was more than happy to explain how he and Jessie had had the same nightmare, and the 'thing' she had seen that he couldn't. Yugi seemed as put-off as Noah by the idea of this 'thing' supposedly 'consuming' him from the inside, but there wasn't an immediate response from Yugi once Noah was done.

Then, at last, he sighed through his nose. _"Noah, I…"_ He sighed again, a bit more audibly, _"I have theories and ideas, and I hope all of them are wrong. I just…"_

Noah's eyes widened when Yugi sighed again, tucking his knees close to his chest. "Wh-Why do you suddenly sound like I'm on my deathbed?"

" _You're not,"_ Yugi hastily reassured, with more conviction, _"You won't be,_ _ **I'll**_ _make sure of it. I'm just—I'm glad you have Atem with you…"_

Noah saw Atem out of his peripheral vision, sitting next to him on the ground, and he gave a small nod. "Yeah…I-I am, too…"

A translucent hand moved to Noah's knee, but he couldn't quite bring himself to look up yet. Still, he took a deep breath, and his tone lightened just a bit.

"Dad, uhm—Y-You know, Jess—Jessie did ask me a few days ago, if…i-if I would hang out with her a-and Sarah for a while downtown today. I know what I did, and I promise to take _whatever_ consequence, but…D-Do you—think it'd be okay if I went with them, just for a little while–? Please?"

Noah relaxed when he noticed the small smile of approval on Atem's face, and he could hear a weak smile in his father's tone as well, despite him still sounding stern.

" _Considering the stunt you pulled last night, I_ _ **should**_ _say 'no,'"_ Noah held his breath for a moment, _"However, I'll talk to your mom and make an exception._ _ **Just**_ _this once; you're_ _ **still**_ _grounded."_

Noah smiled, giving a nod. "I-I understand…Thank you…"

" _I have to run a few errands myself, so I'll probably bump into you later; I want to see how you're doing at that point, okay?"_

"Fair enough. I'll see you later."

After hanging up, Noah looked up finally, noticing Jessie had stuck her head into the room; she was out of her sleepwear and in jeans and a bright pink hoodie herself, one that had cat ears on the hood, and she gave him a broad smile.

He smiled back, not quite as wide, but just as sincere.

* * *

Noah waited another hour or so to go home and change and clean up (wanting to wait until Téa had left for work); he wore his Domino High jacket over a teal-and-white striped shirt with dark jeans and a pair of sneakers, and then put on the Puzzle and headed out the door.

He met up with Jessie and Sarah at Domino Square shortly after, Jessie in her hoodie and jeans. Sarah had a long-sleeve yellow turtleneck and denim vest, with matching-shade jeans and black boots herself.

Sarah was a bit amused when she saw Noah come over to them. "I'll be frank: I didn't believe Jessie when she said you were coming."

"How rude!" Jessie looked at her, giving an offended scoff, _"I_ don't lie!"

"True, but you do exaggerate."

Jessie made a face at her cousin, and Noah chuckled softly before looking to Sarah. "Nah, I-I'm…I-I think it's good for me to be out of the house. And I'm, I'm happy to spend time with you guys."

This made Sarah smile in earnest, as well as Jessie, though the latter then checked her watch.

"Hey, there's a movie starting in twenty minutes," Jessie pointed out, looking between the two, "How about we start with that–?"

And soon they were heading down the street, towards the theater.


	24. Part 24

((Quick Note: Sorry again for the delay! A bit shorter, but there's only three parts left after this. Buckle up, ya'll.))

* * *

"Okay, wait: You were two years old, and you _still_ managed to pull a chair over, and climb on top of the car _roof–?"_

"Dad always said I was a curious kid."

Jessie and Sarah snickered a bit before Jessie then looked over with furrowed brows. "Did you get in trouble?—Oh, was it Téa who found you?"

"Nah," Noah scoffed, shrugging a shoulder, "Dad found me; he wasn't really _mad_ , but I remember hearing _many_ talks about 'dangerous stunts' as the years went on."

"Seems that didn't sink in," Sarah quipped with a smirk, glancing between the two, "Considering the _nap_ the two of you took…?"

"Hey–!" Both flushed, giving her small glares in response.

After the movie, the three had gone into a café on the corner of the street; Noah noted it was a bit bigger, but not quite as busy as Joey's usually was. It still smelled like coffee and baked goods.

"Hey, I was just wondering something?"

Noah looked back over at Sarah, before her brows furrowed. "Does Atem want to join us this time? I mean…I know you two can't _exactly_ be around at the same, but if you were okay with switching, then…?"

"Yeah," Jessie gave a smile, "Even a 'king' needs to have fun once'n a while, right?"

Noah held a snicker in, smirking either way; Atem had actually been nearby all day, but he _had_ been very quiet. Not tensely so, though; maybe he thought he was giving them privacy.

' _Well…?'_ Noah asked anyway, _'You heard the ladies; do you want to join in this time? I don't mind.'_

" _I'm fine, Noah, thank you."_

It was a rather quick answer and it made Noah flinch and look over at him, just subtly so that he wouldn't draw attention; Atem didn't seem upset or angry, but he did seem the slightest bit tense, or maybe just discomfortable.

Noah frowned, and instead of replying with the dismissal, he went up to the counter to order. They were each paying for themselves, anyway.

Noah gave a polite smile to the barista. "Two small coffees, please? One black, one white with two sugars."

He could feel Atem's gaze on him, watching him with an arched brow. After paying and waiting for Jessie and Sarah, Noah tried to hide a small smile. The girls looked to him in wonder from his order, but his brows rose and he nodded once to answer. They each smiled in response.

As soon as they'd gotten their drinks and a table, Sarah looked to Noah with a weak smirk. "So? Will he join us, then–?"

Noah glanced over at Atem, who didn't look amused by the action in the slightest. In fact, he frowned at him with furrowed brows.

Noah arched a brow in response, but shrugged as he took the white coffee. "Nah, seems like he's a bit nervous."

The girls straightened, and Atem was startled, before looking at him with a light glare. _"What–!"_

"Really?" Jessie asked coyly.

Noah took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, I mean it's understandable; he's actually a bit on the _old_ side, y'know? Coffee would probably short-circuit his brain…"

" _Excuse me–!"_ Atem questioned furiously, coming closer, _"None of that is true, and you know it!"_

Noah smirked out of the corner of his eye. _'Prove it.'_

With a brief flash of the Millennium Puzzle, Noah wasn't sitting at the table anymore. For a moment, Atem was a bit surprised and taken back by the switch.

When what happened registered, Jessie snickered while Sarah smiled in earnest. "Well, I'm glad you changed your mind."

Atem looked between the two in surprise briefly before returning a light glare. "You all planned this."

"No, it was all Noah. But it was a good idea."

" _Wow, way to throw me under the bus,"_ Noah retorted behind Atem, still making himself present with the group (or at least with Atem).

Atem sighed harshly, pushing Noah's coffee away just a little bit.

"Atem?"

He looked up at Jessie, and she frowned at him. "Why don't you want to spend time with us? Are we _just_ 'Noah's friends' to you–?"

Atem jumped. "No, it's not—"

" _I can tell you're lying,"_ Noah chided.

Atem fell silent, looking off again.

Sarah then tilted her head. "Have you ever just _hung out_ with people? You were with Yugi at one point, right? You had to have hung out with the gang and stuff, didn't you? Have you ever just hung out with Noah at all?"

Atem was quiet, taking Noah's silence as that he wanted an answer as well.

He sighed, sitting back in the chair. "It…isn't that I didn't. I did. Occasionally. Yugi was…just as insistent on including me in things. After a while, I _did_ participate a little more, on my own. He's…still my best friend. It's just…different now," His gaze moved to the table, "Noah isn't Yugi; I don't want him to be. I want him to be himself. But…that's…been a bit hard, for quite some time, and I'm trying to get to know him better. And I _have_ spent time with him a _little_ , but…with the recent danger, it makes it hard to be lax enough for just…this. I was happy when he said he wanted to spend time with you, but…I wanted to be on alert still, so that he didn't have to be, this time. So that he could just…be himself for a bit."

Noah's brows furrowed, eyes slightly wide.

Jessie also looked to Atem with furrowed brows. "But you don't have to be on alert, not _all_ the time. I mean…you've _been_ taking care of him. You've _been_ protecting him. So…what's so wrong with relaxing with friends for just a short time?"

Atem still looked mildly discomforted, however Noah put a hand to Atem's shoulder. _"I want to include you, too, Atem. Guess it's just a 'Mutou' thing, but…you're_ _ **my**_ _friend, too."_

Atem scoffed subtly, looking down and away for a moment with a smile. _'You're more like Yugi than you realize…'_

Noah smiled fondly, and Atem looked back up, taking a deep breath, before taking a sip of the coffee in front of him.

Noah jumped. _"Wait, wait—y-you might not like—"_

Atem shuddered after swallowing, making a small noise of disgust before replying. "How can you _drink_ that–?"

Jessie and Sarah laughed, though Jessie managed to ask "Too bitter?"

"Too _sweet_ ," Atem corrected, shuddering again before pushing Noah's coffee away.

Noah laughed and (silently) tapped the table by the second cup he bought. _"I got you_ _ **black**_ _coffee for a reason, man."_

Atem took the second cup and tried it instead, sighing in relief right after. "Much better…"

" _You weirdo…"_

"That doesn't mean much, coming from you."

Atem had forgotten that Jessie and Sarah couldn't hear Noah, but the two must've assumed what had been said, considering they both stifled laughs at Atem's comment.

Noah nudged him (not even moving him). _"Jerk…"_

Atem smirked himself before taking another sip.

* * *

After the talk at the café, and the atmosphere having grown to be much more relaxed, Atem stayed right at the forefront alongside Noah's conscious; when Noah was in control, he would relay Atem's responses (at times purposefully skewing them).

At one point, they came to an old arcade, and Noah eyed one of the two-player, single-console games.

While Jessie tried her hand at a claw machine, Sarah looked to the machine as well, arching a brow at Noah. "What…?"

Noah smirked and mumbled. "I want to play him. One round of something, _anything._ I gotta know that the 'King of Games' crap is for real."

Atem scoffed next to him. _"Are you sure that's wise…?"_

Sarah frowned. "Isn't that kind of hard–? I mean, don't you need to switch off constantly for that?"

"We don't have to," Noah mused, "He can control my right while I control my left. It's just a race game. All you need is one foot for the gas and brake pedals, and a hand for the joystick."

"I want to see–!" Jessie agreed, having abandoned the claw machine, "We could stand next to you so that no one suspects."

Noah smirked at Atem, who crossed his arms and returned a smirk. _"You have no idea who you're going up against."_

' _Ditto.'_

While Noah sat at the machine, Jessie and Sarah flanked his sides, each eager to watch.

It _did_ feel a bit strange for Noah, feeling numb in his right yet seeing his hand grip the joystick. He could see Atem's form next to him still, or at least sort of, considering half of his form had faded into Noah's right.

He started up the game, and the cars shot off. It was just a simple five-lap race, with cheap graphics and mechanics, but the landscape was different each round. At first, they were pretty evenly matched. Then Noah moved past Atem halfway through the second lap, giving a small, triumphant laugh.

However, by the last stretch of the race, which was about a mile-long straight shot to the finish line, Atem suddenly shot past Noah, winning the match.

Noah gapped for a moment while Jessie and Sarah each gave a small cheer.

Noah looked on with wide eyes. "I was _way_ ahead of you! H-How did you _do_ that–?"

With a flash of the Puzzle, Atem leaned back on the seat, before leaning forward onto the console to smirk at the screen. "I was just waiting for the last stretch. You floored it at the beginning, so by the end you were running out of gas and slowed down."

While Jessie and Sarah each stifled laughs, while Noah looked on in frustrated awe. _"That's…brilliant. I hate it."_

Atem offered a shrug. The Puzzle shined again, leaving Noah to still be staring in awe, before Jessie nudged his shoulder.

"Come on, we should probably be heading for home," She replied in midst of a chuckle.

Noah shook himself from the shock-and-awe, standing up. "W-Well—Dad said he'd probably end up bumping into us anyway, cuz he'd be out. And he wanted to check in with me."

"We should at least be outside, then."

They headed out of the arcade, and started down the street for only a few minutes before a honk and call caught their attention— _"Hey!"_

Noah stopped first, just to see his father pull up alongside the curb and parked; it was the tense expression he carried as he got out of the car that brought tension back to both Atem _and_ Noah.

Jessie and Sarah offered weak smiles in spite of the tension, and Sarah gave a small nod once he was closer. "Hey, Yugi. I-Is everything okay?"

Yugi was about to reply to her, but he ended up sighing tersely and looked to Noah. "Seto and Mokuba think they finally have something. The last archeological dig I went on?—When you were seven?"

Noah's brows furrowed. "I-I thought they discontinued it, after you disappeared–?"

"Only for five years, apparently. Mokuba was checking the final inventory of the dig, and one of the leaders that took over for me after my 'disappearance' got back to him with an updated list. And Mokuba found something that shouldn't've been there."

Atem straightened, along with Jessie and Sarah, but Noah looked the slightest bit startled. "Th-Then why stop here–? Why not just head over?"

Yugi gave a nod, gaze serious and stern. "I've got a feeling you should be there to look over the list. _Both_ of you."

Noah glanced at Atem, and received a small nod of agreement.

Jessie then came up to them. "Please—can we come, too–?"

"Yeah," Sarah continued when Yugi looked unsure, "We won't be in the way, we just want to be there as support. For all of you, y'know–? Please–?"

Yugi hesitated, looking to Noah for confirmation.

Noah gave a nod of agreement himself, quietly replying, "I want my friends with me."

His words brought small smiles to the girls' faces, and Yugi relaxed briefly before nodding himself. "All right…We still need to head over now. You _know_ Seto is _not_ patient."

They piled into the car as Yugi started towards KaibaCorp.

At one point, Noah looked down at his lap as he silently mentioned, _'Atem, I-I'm…a bit scared about all this…I have a bad feeling about it…'_

It was quiet briefly, before Atem looked over Noah's shoulder, as if from the backseat, and gave a gentle nod. _"I know…but we'll_ _ **all**_ _be there, this time; you won't be alone. Everything will be okay."_

Taking in a deep breath, Noah nodded in agreement and straightened.


	25. Part 25

The drive over to KaibaCorp was quick, quiet, and tense, but the four headed into the building, to find Mokuba waiting at the entrance for them.

"Hey, there you are!" He replied, a bit more relaxed than the rest of the group. Though, spying the girls, he frowned at Yugi, " _More_ observers…?"

"This is Sarah and Jessie, Mokuba," Yugi explained, "They're Joey and Tristan's daughters and they happened to be with Noah when I picked him up."

"You _know_ Seto's not big on too many people being upstairs…And this is all confidential."

"Which is why they should be around to hear it."

Mokuba sighed, but as they started towards the elevator, he looked to Jessie and Sarah with a frown. "I'm sorry…It's nothing against _you;_ I really would have no problem with all of you up there, but Seto is…"

"Oh, it's okay," Jessie replied airily, and waved off his apology, "He's super busy, after all—It's cool. We're just here to be support for Atem and Noah."

As the elevator started climbing upward, Mokuba frowned at Noah. "How's that been, exactly? You seemed…kinda sick, last I heard."

Noah grew tense for a moment, before trying to mimic Jessie's airy wave. "I-I'm fine now, thanks. I-It's no big deal. I-I've just…kinda been fighting myself, lately."

" _That's more accurate than you're letting on,"_ Atem replied sadly from next to him.

Noah stiffened, but tried not to react too much, since Mokuba was still watching him. The rest of the ride was quiet, and the hall to the office wasn't that long of a walk.

 _ **~bump—BUMP—~**_

Noah gasped tersely and lept back.

It had been weeks now since he had last felt that hard beat, the feeling of his heart jumping up into his throat and then plunging into his stomach, but he recognized it. Just like before Jet and Kevin had come barreling through his front door, or when he'd nearly been suffocated by dark energy. Except this was different; instead of only a brief jump, his heart remained down in his stomach, and his throat felt tight with sudden fear and adrenaline.

It seemed Atem picked up on the sudden jolt as well, and he watched Noah carefully, but couldn't question before Yugi did.

Yugi frowned, coming back over to them. "Noah–? Is something the matter?"

Sarah and Jessie looked back at him as well, but Yugi's brows quickly furrowed when he saw the look of absolute distress on Noah's face, placing his hands to his shoulders. _"Noah–?"_

It felt like a stone weighed in Noah's gut, making him feel ready to cry with sudden panic. He wanted to speak, but found his throat still clenched painfully. Atem came up to his side, putting a hand to his shoulder over one of Yugi's.

" _Noah, it's okay,"_ Atem gently comforted, _"I know you're scared, but it_ _ **will**_ _be okay. We're all here for you. It'll be fine."_

Noah almost started to mention the feeling he had, the sense of anxiety and dread, the feeling that something terrible was coming…

But with how everyone was looking at him, his throat remained clenched until he decided against it.

" _I-I'm f-fine…"_ He got out quietly, just barely steeling himself again.

Atem noticed how forced the words were, however Noah then slowly moved back in with everyone else, flinching at the doorway, but then moved on into the room. The feeling died away right after he crossed the threshold, so Noah let go of a terse breath, and the sudden panic eased out of his system rather abruptly.

The office now had a few crates scattered about, a couple men unloading various artifacts from straw and packing peanuts.

"Hey, hey, _gently–!"_ Yugi went over to one, helping to lower it carefully to the ground, glaring lightly at the man, "These are priceless artifacts and scrolls that carry important information—be more careful."

"Easy, Dad…" Noah replied with a small smirk, still shaking a bit, but pat Yugi's shoulder.

Coming up to the desk, Yugi noticed the list strewn out over it. "So this is what came up from the rest of the excavation?"

"Yep," Mokuba nodded, smiling as he took up only one page of it, "It turns out you were right: there was a _whole_ separate burial site just nearby the one you had been looking at—it's where all of these new artifacts came from. It's astounding in a lot of ways—a lot of these artifacts are unique individually, so there isn't anything like them in museums today. It's a pity you couldn't've been there to see your own discovery…"

Noah smiled with slight pride and gave another small pat to Yugi's shoulder again, though both turned to Seto when he scoffed from his chair behind the desk. "It was Tsukane Shirogane that took care of your 'theory,' not you…"

While Noah jumped and gave him a small glare, Yugi only gave a stern nod to Seto. "Yes, he was, and I appointed him to do so. After all, _you_ didn't even want him around in the first place, even if he _was_ a graduate student."

"You don't take enough risks," Seto said, simply.

Yugi looked away at that, taking up a folder of the inventory he had put together himself ten years earlier, which was much smaller than the recent one. "You and I have _very_ different ideas of what 'taking risks' means, Kaiba."

"Doesn't change the fact that you were too scared to carry out your own theory," Seto continued, looking up from the inventory list himself, "You had your reserves about disturbing burial chambers and spiritual nonsense that prevented you from keeping the backbone you have in duels present in the rest of your life. Sometimes I'm not sure you should've given up that profession. And you're a _teacher_ now, aren't you…? You're moving farther and farther down the totem pole out of _cowardice."_

" _ **Piss off**_ _!"_

Everyone jumped at the sudden snap. Although Jessie and Sarah had tried to hold him back, Noah strode up to the desk, planting his hands to the surface with a slam, the small force pushing a few papers around.

"You don't know _half_ of what he's been through!" Noah leaned forward on the desk himself, "I'd like to see you brave the shadows, I'd like to see you be taken away from your brother for ten years and see how quickly _you_ recover! I'd love to see you have to _negotiate_ with a—a _stingy_ _ **miser**_ like _you_ just to gain some sort of insight into what the hell is happening to your own family! _I'd love to see you go through what my family has gone through, I'd_ _ **love**_ _to see it!—"_

"Noah, that's _enough_ ," Yugi quietly responded, barely moved as he closed the folder.

Noah didn't tear his gaze away from Seto. "Get this straight, you—you _windbag_ : You can only say what you want 'cuz you have your own people do the real 'dirty work,' you can say how you don't believe in any of this 'ancient magic'—I'm still not sure how much I believe in it myself. _But don't_ _ **ever**_ _talk about something you know_ _ **crap**_ _about!_ I don't care if you're a CEO _or_ my dad's rival in a _card game_ , _but if I_ _ **ever**_ _hear you talk shit about my dad again, I'll—"_

"Noah, that is _enough!"_ Yugi finally stepped up to him at that point, taking Noah firmly by the arm and bringing him back and away from the desk.

While Noah did fall silent, he was still seething, breathing heavily.

Yugi looked at him with a glare. "Stand _down_ , Noah. This isn't a fight you want to start. I don't want you doing something stupid for my sake; and it _isn't_ for my sake, it's for yours. Let it _go."_

Noah was still seething a bit from how unmoved Seto looked, but Atem, too, came into Noah's sight and 'took' his other arm. _"Noah, please,_ _ **listen**_ _to Yugi…! He's right, and you know it; Seto isn't worth your integrity."_

At that, Noah gave a final huff, and finally stepped back from the desk, settling with crossing his arms. Seto glared back at Noah himself, though didn't say anything.

Mokuba was the one to finally break the tense silence, clearing his throat before taking up the list himself and organizing it back into a pile. "If we can…continue with this…?"

"Gladly," Yugi replied for everyone, and the whole room gradually relaxed, now that there wasn't going to be anymore shouting.

While two men came in to unload the last crate, Mokuba went to the last item on the list. "Now, the _real_ reason why I wanted you to come back so soon was because of this _last_ artifact your team found, right before leaving the site. It doesn't match up with any of the other artifacts, in the sense of the time period in Egypt—like it had been added _afterwards_."

Yugi's eyes narrowed, letting go of Noah and coming over to look at the list. "'Added'–? Like someone else put it there?"

"Not recently," Mokuba replied with a shake of his head, the crate creaking as they pried it open, "It's still _very_ old, even older than the rest of the artifacts—but it doesn't _match_ the rest of the items, either, culturally speaking. According to the inventory list, it was a tome of some sort, _very_ much Egyptian."

Yugi jumped, startled and worried as he faced Mokuba directly. "Wait—a-a _tome?_ A scroll? Like—Like a—"

Noah turned to look, right as the crate was broken open; lying right on top of the hay to keep it safe and in-place was what looked like a _breathing_ scroll, an eye with a red gem sealing it, and strange hieroglyphics coating the outside from left to right. It pulsated with dark energy, a voice emitting from nowhere in particular muttering in ancient Egyptian as soon as the crate was open.

Noah straightened, Anubis' red markings around his neck appearing and abruptly glowing bright, and his eyes gained the same red glow. _"The_ _ **book**_ _…!"_

For a split second, everyone was frozen.

" _ **NO**_ _–!"_

At the same moment that Noah lunged for the crate, Yugi lept for him in turn, arms tight around his son's frame in attempt to prevent him from moving any closer to the scroll. _"Noah,_ _ **stop**_ _! You don't know what you're doing–!"_

Something had completely consumed Noah at that point, because his eyes retained the bright red glow, and he struggled against Yugi with surprising and sudden strength, considering how sick he'd been. It seemed he didn't recognize anything around him anymore, glare locked on the tome in the crate that only seemed to be getting louder with its chanting.

"Get that thing out of here–!" Seto ordered the two men, who had been watching in complete bewilderment.

Just as they quickly moved to pick up the crate, Noah seemed to _snarl_ and practically _tossed_ Yugi off, him hitting the edge of the desk, right on his shoulder blade, before collapsing to the ground.

"Yugi–!" Both Jessie and Sarah rushed to his side as Noah strode forward.

However, Yugi quickly waved them off, trying to get back onto his feet. "No-No, stop Noah, first–! _He can't touch that scroll–!"_

Similarly, the two men tried to restrain Noah, grabbing onto his arms, however he kneed one man in the gut, and then shoved him into the other man so that they fell backward into one of the empty crates.

Now just a few feet away, Atem's form appeared between Noah and the crate, glaring at him. _"Noah, you have to_ _ **stop**_ _! Don't let Anubis do this to you!—"_

Noah walked right through him. As simple as the action was, it felt chilling. Eyes wide for only a moment, Atem then whipped around as Noah picked up the scroll.

Noah then repeated the same ancient Egyptian text that the Book of the Dead was chanting non-stop, letting the scroll open up as soon as he spoke. The red glow that sprouted from the tome was nearly blinding, and some invisible force pushed Jessie and Sarah back when they were even remotely close.

Atem, however, was free to grab onto Noah's hands in an attempt to influence him to let go. He barely felt a burning sensation from the scroll. _"_ _ **Noah**_ _!—Noah, please, you have to stop! You'll kill yourself!—Please! Let_ _ **go**_ _!"_

But the words being spoken abruptly changed. It didn't sound like much of a difference to everyone else, but Atem understood clearly:

" _ **Breathe life into the spirits, resurrect the dead, resurrect to flesh through your pages and incantations."**_

Atem's eyes widened. _"NO–!"_

A surge of red light shot up from the scroll, outlining a pentagram around Noah, and consequently Atem, and a greater force of air lifted papers and bits of packing hay and wood, creating a small cyclone within the room.

Atem tried to look back at Noah through the flying debris. Noah was clutching the scroll with a vice grip, but had gained a blank expression, the markings around his neck still glowing brightly.

" _Noah–!?"_ Atem tried calling again.

Except, then something even stranger occurred: he breathed in.

Atem looked off with wide eyes, before looking to his hands that clutched the sides of the scroll. It started out slowly—just a strange, ghostly feeling of touch and nerves—before it rushed into him, all at once.

In flakes, like pieces of paper, Atem gained an opaqueness of skin and fabric that gradually formed around his spirit. From his hands and feet, up to the top of his head and hair, the same force from the book suspended him just an inch into the air, his head tilting back as the sensation worked its way through him.

Jessie and Sarah looked to Yugi, whose eyes were wide. "I-Is—I-Isn't that–!?"

Red light and energy circled around Atem's form, sealing any cracks from the flakes—creating a physical body. It also transferred the Millennium Puzzle from Noah's neck to Atem's, its power stabilizing the new form. Even the clothes, the same as Noah's (though now they seemed half a size too big), lazily moved around his limbs from the surrounding energy. Then, as soon as the red magic passed over his chest and head, Atem opened his eyes with a small gasp; if anything, he looked tired, but he started panting as his heart was getting back to a regular beat after having been stopped for so long.

Still, soon his feet were set onto the ground, his knees almost buckling from lack of using his own muscles for thousands of years, and then he shook himself back to the present situation.

Atem took better hold of the scroll, clenching his jaw briefly before looking back at Noah's blank face.

"Noah!" He had to remember how to use his _actual_ voice again, "Let go of the scroll! _Let_ _ **go**_ _!"_

" _ **Impossible…!"**_

A new voice, though one both Atem and Yugi recognized, suddenly came from the tome, much louder than before. Noah's face was hidden from view, but the markings around his neck now barely cut into his flesh.

" _ **Impossible, but…intriguing,"**_ The voice replied, _**"So, the spell affected you as well…? You DID once have a body after all, Pharaoh, before this mortal…This shall be enjoyable, then…"**_

Noah's neck gave a small crack as his head jerked up. Atem gave a shout of disgust, stumbling back outside the pentagram's boundaries.

Noah's eyes were pitch black, some tar-like substance leaking from the corners like tears, as well as from his gaping mouth, however the same tar-like liquid bubbled up from beneath his feet as well.

Anubis' disembodied voice laughed. _**"I will have the opportunity of killing you again—with my own hands!"**_

The tar like substance began crawling up Noah's legs. Atem jumped and lunged, but was shocked back, now that he was outside of the pentagram. "Noah–!?"

Maybe the two still had a mental connection of some kind, because for a moment, Atem caught a glimpse of Noah's actual face, tears in place of the tar substance and distress and anguish present on his face. That, and a small scream of _"HELP"_ before the image was gone.

Noah's form, as well as the tome, became covered in the tar, and it soon grew and melded into an entirely different form.

Yugi lurched to try and get himself up, Jessie and Sarah hanging onto him. _"NOAH–!"_

Atem could only watch with wide eyes, feeling a slight mistiness he wasn't used to, along with a shortness of breath; he stepped back as the form grew around Noah, not looking anything like him anymore.

And then it solidified, gaining skin and hair and definition. The man, or monster, stood at practically eight feet, retaining muscle and protruding veins, and the same ancient robes he carried as the Egyptian god of the Dead. The stringy locks of his hair draped over the shoulders like a second cloak.

As he turned his head up, Anubis smirked at Atem. The last thing to form were his eyes, still as red and sly as they had been in their previous encounter.

" _Pharaoh…!"_ Anubis chuckled, "Once again, we are face-to- _face_ …!"


	26. Part 26

SECOND-TO-LAST Part! It's been a wild ride, and don't worry: the bomb will indeed drop by the end of this part. I'm trying to finish Arc 2 as fast as I can, but it might still be a bit before I can get it up. I might even go through Arc 1 and make edits, but I'll probably wait to do that…

Anyway, enjoy~!

* * *

Atem could only stare in shock at Anubis' new form for a time, before a glare finally returned to his face.

" _You…!"_ He took a step closer, despite his knees shaking from new muscles, "What did you do with Noah!? _What have you_ _ **done**_ _–!?"_

Anubis hummed briefly. "The _boy_ …? Well, he _is_ the main core of this body…"

His eyes widened, and his grin broadening as his eyes gained a red glow. _"Take a look for yourself…!"_

At first, Atem had no idea what Anubis meant. But then it felt like something crept into him, trespassing into his mind to give him a vivid mental image.

And what he saw was horrid: it seemed like Noah was captive in midst of the black tar that made up Anubis' body. His arms and legs were restrained, his skin pale and some of the tar binding his mouth shut. A red collar, made of the same markings from before, stretched into some unknown source, draining his life force.

Voices whispered to him, creeping into his mind in the form of _"Let the darkness consume you"_ and _"You have no hope here."_

Yet, at the same time, Noah's voice crept through to Atem, whispered and pleading.

" _Please…please, help me…! I…I don't want to die like this…! I-I need…help…! PLEASE…!"_

Atem lurched forward, grasping at the sides of his head with a shudder, feeling a sort of panic and dread that he could now tell had been what Noah was feeling all along.

"Hurts, doesn't it…?" Anubis sneered as Atem watched the mental image, "Knowing that you led your _little_ _ **friend**_ to his _death…?"_

At that, Atem jumped forward, starting to shout, _"I won't let you—"_

He was cut off with a gasp; Anubis could wrap his whole hand around Atem's throat, as well as lift him two feet off the ground.

Anubis snickered. "You won't _let_ me? How arrogant…What power do _you_ have, once again trapped in a weak, mortal body…? You can die even quicker _now_ than before…"

He tightened his grip, and Atem groaned, struggling and pulling at the hand around his throat, trying to breathe. _"He—hasn't—done_ _ **anything**_ _–! I—_ _ **I'm**_ _who—you_ _ **want**_ _–!"_

"And _you_ I shall need. Later," Anubis sneered, "After this first source has been _used up_." He gave a couple firm pounds to his own chest.

Except, then something smacked against the back of his head, making him loosen his grip on Atem's neck temporarily, at least enough for Atem to inhale once. It looked to have been a metal box of some sort.

" _Put him_ _ **down**_ _!"_

Anubis turned about, still carrying Atem by the throat, to see it had been Sarah to throw the box, another in her hands as she prepped to throw it. Jessie gave a firm nod, supporting Yugi as he glared at him.

"Drop him!" Yugi ordered, one hand clutching his shoulder (on the side that had rammed into the desk), "We've dueled you once, Anubis, and we can do it again!"

This brought out a loud laugh from Anubis, before he smirked at Yugi. "I told you before, mortal! It is no longer time for 'dueling,' _it is only time to_ _ **die**_ _!"_

He then swiftly launched Atem at Yugi so that they both hit Seto's desk once again; while they struggled to get up, Anubis's form grew black and tar-like.

"I would hurry, Pharaoh!" He laughed, as his tarry body dissolved through the crack in the door, " _He's_ _ **calling**_ _for you…!"_

When he disappeared, Jessie and Sarah each let out a breath, and while Mokuba went over to the two men still stuck in the crate, the girls went to Atem and Yugi.

Jessie moved Atem off of Yugi, looking over him in shock. "I-I can't believe it…! Y-You're here, you're—you're _alive…!"_

Atem gingerly felt at his throat, wincing at the raw tenderness of the area before looking over at Yugi. "Yugi…Yugi, I'm so sorry—for what happened to Noah, for all of this—I shouldn't've let him come in here, I—"

"Stop, it isn't your fault," Yugi looked to him with a furrowed brow, "We can do this. We can still help him."

Yugi then gripped Atem's shoulder, looking to him in very mild awe for a moment before smiling faintly. "I-I can't believe it, either…!"

Atem was taken back for a moment, but then stood and looked to Seto; the two kept gaze for a long while, a spark still managing to fly, a need to challenge.

Except Atem drew in a breath, and headed right for the doors.

When he did, Mokuba took a small step after him. "Where are _you_ going–?"

"After Anubis," Atem answered tersely, a small shake still in his legs, "I _refuse_ to let him kill Noah, I won't let him take—"

With a terse gasp, though, he tripped over the small step up to the doors, falling to a knee. It was strange, not being used to _walking_ in this new body, or at least not used to using his own muscles. He even pant lightly, having to remember to breathe between sentences. Even remembering how to stand back up was a challenge, his body not quite picking up what he wanted it to do.

Yugi caught up with him shortly after. "But you can't go alone—Atem, however long this…th-this new body lasts for you, it isn't that strong right now. You need the rest of us."

Atem took a moment to breathe, but gave a small sigh and nodded in agreement. Yugi gave a nod as well, using his uninjured side to keep Atem balanced long enough to get up the few stairs and to the doors.

Shortly after, Jessie and Sarah came up to help the two of them; this time, no questions were asked as they headed for the next floor up.

* * *

As soon as Anubis materialized once more atop the KaibaCorp building, looking out over the city, he sneered briefly. For now, the skies were clear and blue, but there was a sudden pressure in the air.

"Your city, your _world_ , will be _mine_ …"

His form briefly becoming tarry, he grew into a demonic-like, ooze-based creature as he pulled away from Noah's flesh.

Noah took in a shuddered breath as Anubis exposed up to his shoulders to clean air. The cover remained over his mouth, the red marking-like collar still drawing the life from him. His eyes remained milky and blank, and carried the red spark, as his skin grew all the more chalky and pale.

Anubis gave a gurgle-like laugh, bringing Noah's head up to look at the city. _"Get a good look. You won't live to see this city much longer…"_

Noah's head lolled and he gave a small whimper, but Anubis tugged back on the chain around his neck to bring him back up.

" _Oh-ho, you can't die on me, yet…!"_ The god sneered, _"I need you to last longer than this…! After all, the Pharaoh and that mortal must_ _ **suffer**_ _…! And you're the perfect tool for me to use…!"_

Noah only gave another small whimper, weakly shaking his head in defiance. Anubis only chuckled, oozy form gathering and hiding Noah from sight once more as it solidified again.

Then the doors swung open for the top floor. _"_ _ **Anubis**_ _!"_

He turned with a smirk to face Atem, Yugi, Jessie, and Sarah, soon snickering and moving his arms out to the sides.

" _This_ shall be your _new_ resting place, Pharaoh!" He replied, "And it will be with the knowledge that you've once again let a city fall into _ruin!"_

He fired a strange, black lightning bolt up at the sky, which created a sudden storm that spread over Domino City, the pressure in the air growing heavier.

Anubis gave another sneer. "And this time, our fight shall be on _my_ terms…!"

While the sudden storm was unnerving, Atem took a step closer towards him. "You didn't succeed before, Anubis, and you won't _now_. You insist on killing me, but you have yet to make a move."

Anubis' expression faltered briefly before he turned his nose up. "You won't try _anything_ while I have your little friend so close…"

"He's _much_ more than a 'little friend,'" Atem heatedly corrected, before his glare deepened, "And Noah is _much_ stronger than your influence. You're afraid to admit it, but he isn't succumbing to you as easily as you thought he would. I bet you only expected him to last a _moment."_

Very briefly, Atem caught another mental image of Noah again, with Noah's head rising and his eyes opening a little wider in hearing his words.

"I've seen the extent of his strength and willpower, first-hand," Atem continued firmly, "And I've seen it _conquer;_ Noah is stronger than you are, Anubis, and I have no doubt in him."

Anubis' smirk had fallen by this point, except it soon returned as he chuckled to himself. Then, in a sudden movement, he fired a bolt at Atem's feet, sending him backward to the ground.

"Hey–!" Yugi knelt down to help him, though Anubis then rose a couple feet into the air.

"I control your situation now, you _fools._ I will do things _my_ way at _my_ time," Anubis then threatened, raising his head to the skies, "Soon, darkness will cover the skies and I will be at my _full_ power. And within mere moments, the _boy_ will have withered away, his soul _shredded_ by my darkness."

Yugi's head snapped up at this, and he gave a glare of his own to Anubis. "Why choose Noah–?"

Anubis looked at him with a deep loathing. Yugi stood, though only once Atem was sitting up on his own.

"Why choose Noah when he hadn't done _anything_ to you?" Yugi challenged, " _We_ were the ones who stopped you before, why not choose any one of _us–?"_

"Who says I didn't _try_ …?" Anubis' smirk broadened again, "Don't you know how _vengeance_ works…? You use that which will cause the most _damage…!_ You wouldn't _dare_ harm me while I hold the boy just above the brink of death, but you have _nothing_ to defend yourselves with. But, I will compromise…"

Anubis then fired another bolt to blast Jessie and Sarah back over to the stairs and door, and then bolted the door shut with his own black ooze.

"We'll keep this just between _us…"_ He sneered.

A couple pounds were heard, before Jessie called through the door. "We'll go get Daddy and the others, please be careful–!"

Atem and Yugi got to their feet, while Anubis readied lightning in his hands. The minute it was fired off, the two split up to avoid being hit. Yugi got up and grabbed onto one of the many radio antennas upon the roof, tugging it off. He'd apologize to Seto later.

Atem tried getting to his feet as quickly as he could, but his heart was already pounding harshly, and his legs shook against his will, to the point of having to catch himself on a knee.

Anubis chuckled at his tremble. "It's not easy with such a _paper-thin_ body, is it…? You should've used flesh and bone, _like me…!"_

"I'm not a _monster_ like you!" Atem snapped back before dodging another blast of lightning. The skies grew all the darker.

Atem briefly saw another image; the more darkness that loomed overhead, the more Noah began fading. He could almost _feel_ Noah losing hope, losing the will to live, said feeling making his heart sink.

Atem grit his teeth. _'What can I_ _ **do**_ _…!? How can I help you? You have to_ _ **want**_ _to live, Noah…! Please…!'_

In trying to dodge another blast, Anubis reached and grabbed Atem by the throat once more, before shocking Atem in his grip with the black lightning. Atem cried out, the pain foreign and raw as it pulsated through him.

But before Anubis could continue further, the radio antenna plunged right into his throat. His yell was strangled, growling in fury as he released Atem to let him fall limply to the ground. Atem struggled before remembering to breathe properly, and attempted to at least get up to his hands and knees.

Anubis slowly turned about while pulling the radio antenna through his throat and out, snapping it in half and glaring. The mark left by it in his neck only re-sealed.

Yugi looked on with a furious glare of his own, another antenna in his hold and ready to throw. "You keep your hands _off_ Atem, and _release my son!"_

Anubis snarled at him, red eyes glowing. " _Damned_ mortal…!"

He threw the antenna halves right back at Yugi's feet, the points wedging into the cement as Yugi jumped back.

"Always getting in the way…!" Anubis continued, "Ruining me when I'm so close to victory!—My _one_ mistake was letting you _live!"_

Yugi paled, eyes wide.

Anubis stalked closer to him. _"I should have_ _ **killed you**_ _in the shadows as soon as I had the chance,_ _ **ten years ago**_ _!"_


	27. Part 27

Atem flinched with a small jolt, still cringing from the leftover static cling, but fury registered somewhere in the back of his mind.

Shaking as he got back onto his feet, he glared at Anubis. _"You…!?_ That—was _your_ pendant–!?"

"How could you have known I'd be there at the site–!?" Yugi stepped back from Anubis as the god of death stalked closer to him.

Anubis gave something between a glare and a smirk, standing right before Yugi. "Simple: you're _predictable…!_ I placed a piece of my conscious into that pendant. I made my hold _slow_ with you so that you would not be alerted…I was surprised to find you without the Pharaoh. If only you had gone just a _little_ further into the tomb…!"

" _I_ would've found that scroll…!" Yugi concluded, taking another step back, "And with me growing weak from the pendant's energy later on, you could easily use _me_ for a host when the time came–!"

"Correction: I had been starting to _already_ ," Anubis gave a chuckle.

Except, then he aimed a threatening glare at Yugi. "But then you sought to _destroy_ the pendant, destroy _me,_ once again…! Your pathetic care for _family_ got in the way…! I had to dispose of you, and I quite obviously had no possible way to _kill_ you. _Yet."_

He smirked. "Not unless I made you perform the deed _yourself_ …! But that would've been insulting to the _late Pharaoh_ …"

Atem was gingerly feeling his neck. "So you sent him to the shadows instead…! _You're_ the one who made him disappear–!"

Anubis shrugged, without looking back at Atem. "So I did."

In a swift motion, he pressed Yugi's head against the wall with one hand, Yugi letting out a terse yell in reply, though he in turn gave the god a glare. Anubis held his head in place against the wall, smirking down at him.

"The Pharaoh may be my priority," Anubis sneered, "But _you…!_ You were the one who ruined all of my work in our first encounter–! You were supposed to wither in the shadows, wasting away to insanity until there was _nothing_ left…!"

His eyes widened. "Whatever wretched power returned you, it _still_ aided in carrying out my plan…And you even kept my pendant _nearby_ upon returning…! And lo and behold, you pass on my spirit to your _offspring_ , and consequently the _Pharaoh_ of all beings! It would only sweeten my revenge…And how _idiotic_ of your son to keep it in such close proximity, once darkness fell…!"

Atem stiffened. _'That floorboard beneath his bed…!'_

Yugi relented a terse groan when Anubis tightened his hold on his head.

"I've _seen_ your mind, you fool…!" Anubis then snarled at him, smirking wildly, "I've seen every _shred_ of your territory, how _weak_ you are…! To fall to the temptation of power, after years of fighting opponents of higher caliber seeking the same…! Even if your offspring managed to free my hold, don't think this means you've really _changed…!_ You've still retained that thirst for power…!"

" _No I_ _ **haven't**_ _!"_

Yugi's shout startled Anubis, and Atem flinched, Anubis' hold on Yugi being the only thing preventing him from coming any closer.

Yugi looked off with a glare, halfway to snarling himself. "…Maybe at first. Maybe I let myself get swept in by your influence. Maybe I forgot what really _mattered_ to me for a while."

He turned his glare up at Anubis. "But I do _not_ desire what you showed me, anymore…! Your power comes from harm to others, from torture, from pain, and I want _no_ part of it…! My family and friends come first! I already neglected them long enough…! No matter _what_ you say, what you _think_ you saw, you're _wrong!_ _And I will_ _ **not**_ _succumb to you again!"_

 _ **SLAM**_ _ **–!**_

In a swift movement, Anubis had slammed Yugi's head into the wall; it drew out a yell from him, and he fell quiet, barely conscious afterwards.

" _Yugi!"_ Atem flinched and moved to rush over to him.

Anubis only reached back and grasped him by the neck again, already making his hold tight enough to cut off air circulation. Atem groaned, quickly falling to his knees.

Anubis smirked at Yugi. "Your faith is _worthless._ Next time, be brave when you are _not_ at the disadvantage…!"

A bolt of thunder crashed overhead, the clouds swirling about into a small cyclone.

Anubis chuckled quietly. "And _now,_ everything has fallen into place…! I will be able to destroy both of you in soul and body, as I meant to all those years ago…And you can do _nothing_ but _**suffer**_ _…!"_

He let go of a laugh—

Only for it to suddenly halt; it sounded like he choked on something.

He froze, eyes wide while he looked off. His grip on the two slackened, enough to let Yugi slump to the ground, Atem as well, heaving for breath. They looked back up to watch Anubis carefully, the god of death twitching in an attempt to move.

"Wh-What is…!?" He snarled, "How…?!"

Then a voice was heard. A single thing was shouted over and over, and it gradually grew louder, until it was a very audible _scream_ of anger.

" _IT WAS YOUR FAULT–!_ _ **IT WAS YOUR FAULT**_ _!_ _ **EVERYTHING WAS ALL**_ _ **YOUR FAULT**_ _!"_

Simultaneously, the clouds above halted in their places, and something pulsated within Anubis' form.

The god glared up at the clouds in rage. _"_ _ **Stop**_ _–! You are—to_ _ **obey me**_ _–!"_

From Anubis' back, something ripped through his form, spreading out behind him.

Blue wings. Just as shimmery and strong as had been described and seen in subconscious. Atem recognized them to have a similar appearance to Obelisk the Tormentor's wings; he stiffened, his eyes wide.

Anubis cringed, tar leaking from the corners of his mouth like blood. "No–! _No, you_ _ **wretched**_ _mortal—you waste of space, you were_ _ **dying**_ _–! You've been_ _ **wanting**_ _to DIE–!"_

In his middle, a blue light gathered and gained brightness.

" _I…want to live…"_

Anubis gave a jolt, his form beginning to crack apart from the blue light.

The voice grew stronger. _"I WANT TO_ _ **LIVE**_ _–!"_

All at once, Anubis' tarry form burst apart, no longer able to cling to its host.

Noah no longer looked so pale or sickly, though his eyes had gained a blank, white glow. The markings around his neck and wrists shattered; the blue wings sprouted from his back, and it seemed some sort of energy was pulsing through him, with growing strength.

Anubis' head lost shape, but red eyes grew furious as he screeched, _**"NO—No, I won't be defeated by YOU, you INGRATE! You are NOTHING! You are WORTHLESS! NO ONE WANTS YOU, YOU DESERVE TO D I E!"**_

For a moment, Noah remained frozen, but just when Atem was about to speak, Noah tilted his head down. "Maybe. Maybe you're right. Maybe I really am 'nothing.' Maybe I _am_ a waste of space."

He turned a glare on Anubis. "But I'm not gonna let _you_ determine that for me…! And until then…!"

In a whisper, he argued again, _"I want to_ _ **live**_ _."_

Blue light burst from Noah in a pillar that parted the clouds and cleared away the darkness in the sky, bring back the clear skies from earlier.

Furious, Noah expressed a glare as he caught the Book of the Dead, as soon as the tarry ooze had released the scroll. "Burn in Hell, _bastard."_

Opening up the scroll, Noah read off another piece of Egyptian text, this time confident and commanding in reading it, _"I release the spirits held to this text, and steal away their breath."_

The tarry ooze surrounding Noah screeched, and Anubis tried to claw at him in a last, desperate attempt.

Except, in midst of its final scream, the ooze was drawn up into the light that Noah emitted, and in a flash, Anubis was gone.

The scroll snapped shut, and the light disappeared.

The blue wings on Noah's back diffused like feathers into the breeze, and all became calm, and silent and Yugi and Atem each got back to their feet. Without waiting for his vision to clear, Yugi bolted over to Noah, just as the latter wobbled a bit.

Yugi came at Noah in a hug, steadying them both when balance wavered. Noah was stiff before returning the hug, sighing with relief; opening his eyes showed Noah's eyes to be clear and blue again, though he looked exhausted from the ordeal.

After a moment, he frowned. "I-I'm…so sorry…!"

Yugi gave a weak scoff, tightening his hold. "Me, too, pal…"

Noah managed a weak smile, letting his cheek rest on Yugi's shoulder. When he did, Atem sighed with relief as well and came over as well, reaching a hand out to each shoulder.

He stopped short of touching them.

Something felt…wrong.

Atem felt light and numb, unable to move any more than the foot away from Noah and Yugi that he was. His movements were frozen, and he looked off in shock. He couldn't breathe anymore.

At the lack of movement, Yugi looked over. His eyes widened, body stiffening. "Atem—"

Noah jumped and swerved around himself. "Atem–? Wh-What's—"

The moment he tried to touch him, a white light surrounded Atem and his form began to flake away, disappearing into a similar light as Anubis.

" _ **No**_ _!"_ Noah tried touching him again; more flakes broke away, "No-No, y-you can't go, not _now_ –!"

Atem's gaze grew blank and placid, eyes eventually falling shut as he fell unconscious, slowly disappearing.

Noah began searching through the Book of the Dead. _"There has to be_ _ **something**_ _–!"_

Yugi was constantly switching his gaze between Atem and Noah. "Noah—any of those spells could bring back Anubis–!"

" _I don't_ _ **care**_ _!"_ Noah snapped, finally stopping on a piece of the scroll. Only, he had no idea which spell would _work_.

Taking in a shaking breath, Noah just started reading off the text in ancient Egyptian, _"'Peace return with the grave'—'Connect soul to bone'—'Light born from dark, return to the light'_ —One of these _has_ to work!"

No spell seemed to; Yugi tried reaching out as well, as Atem's torso and head were the last to begin flaking away, but his hand simply made more of the flakes disperse.

For a moment, Noah's eyes were wide; it felt hard to breathe, and several memories made themselves prominent in his mind's eye.

" _Noah, you put yourself off as this cold person who doesn't care, but that's not who you really_ _ **are**_ _. My guess is that you're actually very much like your father: kind, passionate, optimistic…seeing the good in others first."_

" _I want to include you, too, Atem. Guess it's just a 'Mutou' thing, but…you're_ _ **my**_ _friend, too."_

He clenched his jaw, eyes stinging as he bowed his head, clutching the scroll tightly while he yelled out— _"Bring him BACK! He doesn't deserve this, split my own life with his or something,_ _ **anything**_ _, just_ _ **bring him BACK**_ _–!"_

In a flash, the scroll shot out from his hands, starting to unravel past its true length; Noah had gasped tersely, but then found his hands sticking to one end as the scroll-like pages circled around him and Atem.

Yugi backed away, watching as Atem's form stopped fading. At the same time, the scroll wove its way around the two in a small cyclone.

Noah cringed briefly from the chill of the wind, the surrounding vortex making his vision a bit dizzied, but then brought his gaze back to Atem as the scroll acted of its own accord. Just barely, he could see the shape of Atem's hand, just a ghost of a form now.

He could finally pull his hand away, and he reached out to take hold of Atem's hand tightly.

With the golden glow of the Puzzle and the white glow of the scroll, another small pillar of light shot up, just briefly, before it spread over the rooftop in a dome of energy.

The Puzzle split apart, into several pieces once again, only to become bright golden light that faded into the light surrounding Atem.

Atem awoke with a shuddered gasp. At the same time that Noah felt a sudden bout of fatigue, Atem's form began reforming, flake by flake; it looked much more stable, compared to the first rendition. A layer of silverish light passed over his form, sealing any cracks, and he was set back on the ground.

As quickly as the scroll had begun to move, it all disappeared again, tightly wrapped and sealed again.

Noah's breathing was a bit heavy while he hung onto Atem's hand in one hand, and the scroll in the other.

Atem seemed to be catching a second wind, and Noah waited a moment before coming a step closer. "Atem–?"

Yugi came closer as well, a hand moving to Atem's shoulder. Atem took a deep breath, putting a hand over his chest. The steady beat was trying to work back to a regular pace, and he could feel the warmth of Noah's skin against his own while he carefully moved to grasp Noah's hand in return.

"I'm…I'm all right…!" He responded in tired surprise.

Simultaneously, Yugi and Noah hugged him, and Atem's shoulders relaxed in feeling the warmth of it, stiff before returning the gesture.

* * *

After the few waves of energy passed over from the top of KaibaCorp, the gang at the bottom of the building—having watched intently from outside—all let go of a breath of relief as the sun came out again.

Joey moved a hand up to shield his eyes, giving a satisfied nod. "Just a regular day, eh…?"

"No kidding," Tristan replied.

Jessie and Sarah stood by Mai, Téa, and Serenity, and Jessie was constantly straightening one of her loose curls as she looked up at the roof. "But—But, are they okay?"

"I'm sure they're fine," Mai reassured, gently patting her shoulder.

It only took a few minutes before the front doors to KaibaCorp opened, and Atem, Noah and Yugi walked out with Seto and Mokuba trailing behind them. The group all responded in turn with small cheers of relief or victory—however Jessie flinched in a small jolt, and rushed forward right away.

"You're _okay_ –!" She bolted just as the three came out the doors.

Specifically, she bolted for Noah, and her response was to grab him by the shirt collar and tug him down to kiss him—rather harshly—on the lips.

While Atem and Yugi each backed off a step in surprise, Noah's eyes were wide and his face turned a fierce shade of magenta. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joey seethe, Mai keeping a hand to his shoulder to keep him in place.

Then Jessie pulled away and smacked Noah across the face.

"Hey–!" He gave her a light glare, face still flushed.

"You _idiot!"_ She yelled at him, a faint red dusting her cheeks, "The next time you have some life-sucking demon talking to you from regions beyond, _**talk**_ _to someone, for God's sake!"_

Noah was still blushing as glared at her, and he rubbed his cheek, but then they went down the steps towards the rest of the group. (Noah carefully avoided standing near Joey for a while.)

* * *

Everything started to settle pretty quickly: Yugi discussed the rest of the dig with Seto (Noah purposefully kept from the room while they did so), and the three were checked over by KaibaCorp doctors to make sure each was okay. Noah was still a bit ill, but the two doctors agreed that Atem seemed to be in perfect health, just a bit fatigued. Any injuries Anubis had given him before had healed upon his physical form being 're-made.' Yugi required the most, it being discovered a scar was left of the back of his head from Anubis slamming him into the wall, plus his shoulder being dinged from being tossed against the desk.

Still, later on in the evening, Atem was looking out Noah's bedroom window at the dimming sun, still getting into the habit of breathing regularly.

At one point, he ran a hand over the wood of Noah's desk; having actual 'feeling' in his body, soft and hard, rough and smooth, was somehow a raw experience, as if he hadn't physically 'felt' anything in many years. Exhaling deeply, he rolled his neck back, the resulting crack-like sensation relaxing his shoulders. He still felt stiff all over. What surprised him more was how awkward his movements felt, how he seemed to carry no muscle memory; he only had his own to go off of. He wasn't bound to anyone else's body anymore.

"Hey."

He turned to look to Noah in the doorway; he still looked just a bit pale, and tired, but Atem was relieved to see a faint smile.

"Hey," Atem returned softly.

"H-How're you feeling?"

Atem shrugged. "A bit tired, but…good. You?"

"Same, actually," Noah's smile widened just a bit, "Like—genuinely, I-I feel okay."

Atem smiled, though his brow then furrowed, and he put a hand to his arm, making sure he could still _feel_ it.

Noah frowned shortly after, and he came a couple steps closer. "A-Are you sure you're okay?"

Atem sighed. "I keep thinking I'm imagining this—or that I'll start to fade again…I'm not used to being around you or Yugi as…as an actual _person_ …"

"Atem, you were always a 'person,'" Noah argued with a small roll of his eyes, "Just 'cuz you were a _spirit_ , doesn't mean you weren't still a person. Besides, this just means you won't 'disappear,' like you had when I was little. Which is good—since I-I still don't know how I did it in the first place, I-I'd rather not have it happen by accident."

Atem straightened, before he smiled softly.

Noah returned the smile, but then sighed harshly and bowed his head with a frown. "I-I'm sorry."

Atem jumped, before he frowned as well. "For _what?_ What happened was Anubis' fault, Noah, you couldn't've—"

"F-For not trusting you enough," Noah clarified, his shoulders hunching, "With what Anubis was trying to make me do—the Book of the Dead, with my own fears…A-After everything you and Dad have done for me, I still…I-I still tried to do everything myself, keep everything bottled up…"

He offered a small smile while bringing his head back up. "Thank you, f-for not giving up on me…Even when I pushed you away."

Atem returned a small smile of his own, putting a hand to Noah's shoulder. "I _couldn't_ give up on you, Noah. As my responsibility, _or_ as my friend."

Noah's smile broadened at that, before he came forward and hugged him. Atem jumped again from the abrupt hug, before smiling softly and returning the gesture.

Yugi came up to the door's threshold shortly after, smiling when he saw the two of them. His arm had been put in a sling from Anubis having thrown him against the desk, but he looked better, compared to earlier.

After a moment, he gently cleared his throat. The two jumped, but relaxed as Yugi came in, closer to them.

"H-How's your shoulder?" Noah asked, briefly cringing (still not over the fact _he_ was the one who had thrown Yugi in the first place).

"It's all right," Yugi lifted his arm a little, and gingerly checked the back of his head, "The worst of it was right after impact. I'll be fine in a week or so."

He then looked to Atem. "Now…what do you plan to do now, considering everything that's happened…? Physically, you're about Noah's age. Give or take a year."

Atem's brow furrowed, putting a hand to the back of his neck. "Well…I'm not sure? I mean…I don't think I could handle a second goodbye, nor do I know _how_ I'd even leave, but I don't have a _home_ to go to…"

"Of course you do," Yugi then replied with a frown, almost offended, "With us."

Atem straightened, and Noah did as well, however Noah then gave him a small grin. "Hey, yeah! Y-You could bunk with me! We still have a trundle bed we used whenever great-grandpa would come visit."

Atem looked between the two of them in shocked silence for a moment. After blinking a couple times, he quietly replied, "I don't…know what to say…"

"Yes?" Noah said, hopeful, "Please?"

Yugi smiled, and Atem returned a smile of his own before nodding to them. "Thank you…"

Yugi grinned, however Noah smirked before putting an arm around Atem's neck, bringing him into a headlock with him gasping at the sudden gesture.

"Welcome to the family, _bro,"_ Noah replied with a grin.

Atem smiled shortly after, and Noah let him up as Yugi chuckled.

* * *

Last Note for Arc 1:

Hey everyone! That's it for Arc 1! I am hopeful to have Arc 2 finished this year, but with finishing up school and moving on to Grad School, I make no promises. I'm also hoping to have this up on other platforms as well, and I may edit it at that time.

But for now, thank you for reading!

~ Bee


End file.
